Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many sustainability and transformation partnerships have employed private sector consultants as part of the Accountable Care System process.

It is for each partner within every sustainability and transformation partnership (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.

NHS England does not hold this information centrally. The vast majority of work within STP areas has been by existing staff, sometimes in addition to their normal duties.