Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has considered appointing a clinical director for vascular and venous disease.

NHS England and the Department are strongly supportive of clinical leadership and recognise the critical need to incorporate clinical expertise into our work. National clinical roles are a key part of this approach, and play an important role in policy development and implementation.

We are currently scoping the programme to bring NHS England into the Department, to form a new joint centre which will deliver better value for taxpayers’ money, and a better service for patients. As part of this process, we are carefully considering the future role of national clinical roles. While no specific decisions have been made yet regarding their scope and responsibilities within the new organisation, their expertise and leadership will continue to be pivotal in shaping the future of healthcare in our country.