Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to ensure the provision of a) surgical hubs and b) community diagnostics centres are aligned with areas with the highest levels of health deprivation.

We are committed to ensuring that the provision of elective surgical hubs and community diagnostic centres (CDCs) is aligned with areas of greatest deprivation and population health need. As a core requirement of the capital business case approval process within NHS England, all proposals have been and continue to be reviewed and assured against the following core principles:

• the CORE20plus5 Framework, a national approach by NHS England to support the reduction of health inequalities at both a national and system level;
• local population health needs; and
• accessibility of care for underserved communities.

This approach ensures equitable access to services, supports the reduction of health inequalities, and promotes improved outcomes for patients across all regions.

NHS England is also working with local National Health Service systems to identify the most appropriate locations for additional investment, including new CDCs. New CDCs should be positioned in a location which addresses local need and health inequalities. Details of future sites will be set out in due course.