Key Facts

• The amendment mandates that all integrated care board meetings and those of their sub-committees must be held in public.
• All meeting papers and agendas must be published at least five working days before each meeting.
• This requirement applies to both thematic committees and place-based sub-committees.
• Trade union colleagues often face difficulties in obtaining key information about changes.
• Freedom of information requests result in inconsistent responses across the country.
• The speaker advocates for a culture where transparency is the default, with exceptions only if there are clear reasons.
• The amendment would require ICBs and their subcommittees, including place-based committees, to meet in public.
• It mandates that all papers and agendas relevant to these meetings must be published at least 5 working days before each meeting is held.
• The Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 already imposes similar requirements on public bodies, which are being extended to ICBs through this Bill.
• Amendment 43 aims to insert provisions into primary legislation about collective agreements.
• Sarah Gorton from Unison highlighted concerns over the continuation of 'Agenda for Change'.
• King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust will transfer staff to Greenbrook Healthcare under a three-year contract starting in October.
• The amendment suggests approval from an ICB's partnership is required for appointments with salaries above £161,401.
• Amendment 43 would require ICBs to apply all relevant collectively agreed terms on pay, conditions, and pensions.
• An ICB may need flexibility in pay and conditions for recruitment or secondments.
• Ministerial oversight applies to salaries over £150,000 a year.
• Amendment 17 aims to allow integrated care boards to enter into externally financed development agreements regarding Local Improvement Finance Trusts.
• The amendment is a probing measure, not seeking immediate legislative change.
• LIFT transformed primary and community services in Bristol over the noughties.
• Concern about the Lansley Act's impact on the management of estates and local infrastructure finance trusts.
• The NHS backlog is now £17 billion.
• Primary care trusts (PCTs) could enter into these arrangements locally, whereas clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and integrated care boards (ICBs) cannot currently do so without certification by the Secretary of State.
• Paragraph 20 of schedule 2 allows ICBs to enter externally financed development agreements if certified by the Secretary of State.
• ICB membership must include a chair, chief executive, ordinary members from NHS trusts/foundation trusts, primary medical service providers, and local authorities.
• The chair is appointed by NHS England and approved by the Secretary of State.
• Ordinary members are jointly nominated by their respective sectors to ensure shared ownership and credibility.
• Paragraph 4 concerns the approval of the chair by the Secretary of State.
• Paragraph 6(2) specifies that a chief executive must be an employee of the integrated care board.
• Interim guidance allows for employees or secondments from other organizations, potentially creating conflicts of interest.
• The Bill requires three ordinary members but interim guidance suggests a minimum of ten people.
• NHS England will publish rules determining which people each ICB is responsible for.
• The rules aim to replicate current CCG responsibility but adapt it to a new model without GP membership-based approach.
• Exceptions can be made through secondary legislation subject to the affirmative procedure of the House.
• Clause 14 of the Health and Care Bill is being discussed.
• The Minister reassures that the clause does not alter emergency care access or existing charging regulations for those ordinarily resident in the UK.
• Charging regulations are designed to balance accessibility with contributions from users.