By joint working I mean situations in which the NHS and private sector companies work together (for instance, by providing expertise, staff, and other resources) on the development or implementation of specific projects.

This is in line with definitions used by NHS England and the Department of Health. What distinguishes joint working other relationships (such as procurement, sponsorships, grants or donations) is that joint working describes a collaborative relationship in which the creation of responsibility for projects is shared.

A document issued by NHS England, the DH, and the ABPI provides the following definition: “Joint working describes situations where, for the benefit of patients, NHS and industry organisations pool skills, experience and/or resources for the joint development and implementation of patient centred projects and share a commitment to successful delivery.” (https://www.networks.nhs.uk/nhs-networks/joint-working-nhs-pharmaceutical/documents/joint%20working%20toolkit%20dh.abpi.pdf p. 4).

For the sake of absolute clarity, please could you confirm or deny whether the trust had any joint working arrangements with private companies in a) 2016 and b) 2017. This concerns, for example, arrangements that might have been in place before this time and were on-going during the period in question.

Download response Joint working arrangements with private companies. 070119