Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the total amount paid to private consultants for providing advice on sustainability and transformation plans.

Information on local areas’ use of external support is not held centrally. It is for each partner within every Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) area to decide where they may need support or advice from external organisations.

All partners within each STP area need to be disciplined about keeping costs as low as possible as they work to alleviate pressures on the National Health Service, and improve patient care.

The Department and NHS England have not commissioned external support to provide advice on STPs.