Health and Social Care Bill 2011
National Voices and its allies are now on a last push to get two remaining amendments into the Bill.
- A statutory duty of candour so that patients are told when something goes wrong with their care: amendment 17 tabled by B Masham of Ilton and signed by B Wheeler for Labour, B Tyler for the Lib Dems, and L Harris of Haringey.
See our joint briefing with AvMA and NALM.
See a letter in the Daily Telegraph with ten other patient safety organisations.
- A requirement that commissioners take advice from expert patients and their organisations: amendments 59 and 101 tabled by B Young of Old Scone.
Lords Report stage begins Wednesday 8th February.
Patient involvement amendment won
With allies including the Health Foundation we have secured new government amendments nos 56 and 97, announced 1 February 2012.
These clarify the duties of national and local commissioners to ensure patients are involved in their care and treatment. It requires the Commissioning Board to issue guidance to clinical commissioning groups on individual patient involvement.
See the Government's announcement.
43 National Voices members signed a letter in The Times on this issue in January 2012.
Previous stage - Lords Committee
Monday 28th Nov: Lord Warner's amendment to define patient involvement was debated in Lords Committee -- see Hansard transcript. Government said it was sympathetic and would keep listening.
Monday 7th Nov: Baroness Masham's amendment for a statutory duty of candour was debated -- see Hansard transcript.
Joint briefing with the Health Foundation on patient involvement Oct 2011
Joint briefing with AvMA and NALM on a statutory duty of candour Oct 2011
National Voices briefing paper for Lords Second Reading Oct 2011
Background
For the Commons stages of the Bill National Voices campaigned with a coalition of ten national charities to improve provision for patient and public involvement, and better governance and transparency in the NHS.
The campaign kicked off with a letter to The Times in February 2011.
Chief executive Jeremy Taylor played an influential role in the NHS Future Forum, the independent panel that conducted the government's 'listening exercise' while the Bill was paused in spring 2011.
Subsequent government amendments delivered many of the changes for which our coalition originally asked, including:
- strengthening the patient involvement duty
- retaining clinical networks
- widening the range of clinicians involved in commissioning
- providing proper governance for clinical commissioning groups, and
- including lay members on CCG governing bodies.
Submission to the NHS Future Forum
9 big shouts May 2011
Evidence to the Public Bill Committee
National Voices second memorandum 4th July 2011
Charity coalition second oral evidence transcript 28th June 2011
National Voices first oral evidence transcript and video 10th February 2011
National voices first memorandum 7th February 2011
Charity coalition parliamentary briefing February 2011
Letter to The Times as published 8th February 2011
The charity coalition on the Bill included: Age UK, Alzheimer's Society, Asthma UK, Breakthrough Breast Cancer, British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK, Macmillan Cancer Support, National Voices, The Neurological Alliance, Rethink and the Stroke Association.
Bill links
Parliament's Health and Social Care Bill page has links to all relevant documents and debate transcripts.
