Key Facts

• Sheryll Murray is chairing a session on the Health and Care Bill.
• The Committee has agreed to discuss until 12.15 pm.
• Witnesses include Sara Gorton from Unison and Dr Chaand Nagpaul from BMA.
• Sheryll Murray is chairing the Public Bill Committee discussion on the Health and Care Bill.
• She reminds members to focus their comments within the scope of the legislation.
• Sheryll Murray intends to call Front Bench spokespeople at 10 minutes to 12.
• Sheryll Murray asks if anyone else wants to ask a question from the Back Benches.
• She then calls on the SNP and Labour spokespeople for contributions.
• Nagpaul expresses concern about unequal arrangements for private sector provision.
• Cataract operations have been moved to the private sector, affecting workforce training.
• There is an inherent conflict of interest when private providers sit on ICS boards due to financial motives.
• Sara Gorton is representing employees within the NHS.
• The collective agenda for change agreement would apply for staff members.
• There are concerns about the extension of the provider selection regime to non-clinical services.
• Sheryll Murray introduced Professor Martin Marshall, Pat Cullen, and Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard as witnesses.
• Pat Cullen represents over 480,000 nurses as the chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing.
• Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard is chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges which covers all medical royal colleges in the UK and Ireland.
• The government's programme has not sufficiently addressed the accountability issues in healthcare staffing.
• There were 40,000 nursing vacancies before the pandemic began.
• The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, RCN, and other organizations have co-signed an amendment to strengthen workforce planning provisions.
• General practice deals with approximately 90% of NHS presentations daily.
• Primary care representatives are crucial for understanding social determinants of health and health inequalities.
• There is a risk that experienced clinical leaders from CCGs may be lost in ICS transitions.
• The current Bill is seen as lacking in clinical leadership and representation.
• Examples from Surrey and Gloucestershire show successful primary care-led organisations.
• NHS England has published implementation guidance on clinical leadership.
• Accountability for workforce planning should rest with the Secretary of State.
• The Royal College of Nursing opposes the power of the Secretary of State to authorise disclosure.
• Professor Martin Marshall reports that 60% of GPs say their mental health has deteriorated significantly over the last year due to anxiety, depression, and suicide ideation.
• Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard agrees with workforce planning opportunities in the Bill to prevent future crises.
• The nurse needs to be represented as an executive director of nursing at the board level.
• The current legislation is described as enabling and permissive rather than prescriptive.
• Witnesses believe that implementation will determine how effectively the clinical voice can influence decision-making.
• The Committee will reconvene at 2 PM that afternoon.
• No further questions were raised during the morning session.