Health and social care bill

The lobby for changes to a number of key provisions in the Government's Health and Social Care Bill continues. The Bill contains a number of controversial proposals that will impact on how patients and the public are represented in the NHS. These include, plans to abolish CHCs and their national body

and to replace them with Patient Advocacy and Liaison Services (PALs) in every NHS Trust, and Patient's Forums with responsibility to monitor and report on the patient experience at the local level. In response to concerns about gaps in the new plans the Government has agreed to set up a new national patient body. It has also introduced a new proposal to set up Patient's Councils - which will help to co-ordinate the work of the Patient's Forums -- at the local level. Other significant proposals contained in the Bill include changes to allow for the development of private finance schemes in primary care and for the integration of some health and social care service provision. There are also proposals for new arrangements for how patient and general NHS information can be used. CA has been actively lobbying for improvements on all aspects of the bill with particular emphasis on the new arrangements for involvement. We are pleased that the government has agreed to set up a national patient body. However, we are very concerned that at present there are no plans to give this body statutory rights.