Call for select committee to scrutinise NHS reforms

Lords Owen and Hennessy have called for parts of the bill to be referred to a special select committee for long-term scrutiny.

They asked for the amendments because they do not believe the bill received proper scrutiny in Commons. 

The select committee would focus on issues such as future democratic control of the NHS, the role of the secretary of state and the plans for Monitor - the new NHS regulator.

If this happens, further changes to the bill are likely, but there’s also the chance it will not receive royal assent by next spring, meaning it would not become law.

Cathy Warwick, general secretary of the RCM, has thrown her weight behind the proposal for further scrutiny. 

‘We hold significant reservations about the Health and Social Care Bill,’ she said.

‘We remain far from convinced that the bill in its current form will enable the NHS to progress for the benefit of patients.
 
‘An area of major concern for us is the future accountability of the secretary of state for the performance of the NHS.

‘In its current form, the bill will effectively absolve the health secretary of responsibility for the NHS; that cannot be right.

‘The NHS is unique because it is a publicly run service and consumes a considerable amount of taxpayers’ money.

‘It is wrong to propose, as the bill does, to remove the secretary of state from the chain of accountability.’

She added that the RCM also has concerns about the level of competition the bill could bring into the NHS.

She said it could introduce competition ‘without public recourse to democratic oversight by elected politicians’ and this cannot be the right way forward.

The news comes after a weekend on which thousands of protestors converged on parliament to rally against the reforms.

The NHS confederation, which represents health service managers, also called on peers to change the bill to ensure accountability.

The confederation said it is unconvinced the reforms as they stand will deliver a system enabling the NHS to tackle its most significant challenges.

The government says the reforms in the bill have been consulted on and will give patients and doctors more choice, while encouraging the NHS to focus on results.