Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of private sector provision of adult social care services on the (a) quality of care outcomes and (b) ability to recruit and retain staff in England and Wales.

No specific assessment has been made. Local authorities are responsible for the commissioning of care and support services to meet the needs of the local populations. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a duty to shape local markets to ensure a range of high quality, sustainable, person-centred care and support services are provided.