Key Facts

• The guidance published in the House requires all members of staff and Members of Parliament to wear masks.
• New Clause 8 aims to establish an NHS Good Governance Commission as a Special Health Authority.
• The Commission will ensure appointments to non-executive roles are made through appropriate processes.
• Annual assessments on diversity and inclusion must be published by the Commission.
• The current system of integrated care boards lacks accountability to local people and Parliament.
• Health service spending dwarfs that of police and crime commissioners or metro Mayors.
• A transparent recruitment process, like an Appointments Commission, would help address cronyism charges.
• NHS managers have outperformed the private sector on efficiency for nearly a decade.
• A previous similar appointments commission was abolished under coalition Government policies.
• Independent oversight of senior positions is needed to avoid conflicts of interest.
• The Kark review highlights challenges with individuals moving between senior positions.
• New clause 8 would create a special health authority for independent oversight of NHS appointments.
• Current processes involve transparency in appointment making and assessment of diversity data.
• The new clause would introduce a duty for the Secretary of State to support, fund, and promote research in the health and care system.
• Funding would be provided via ring-fenced funding for the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
• Research can help retain staff, improve patient outcomes, enhance accountability through clinical auditing processes, and drive better integration of services.
• The Chancellor has announced an additional £44 billion investment in the NHS over three years to 2024-25.
• Total NHS spend will increase to £177 billion.
• It is suggested that roughly £5 billion will be spent on health R&D over five years.
• NIHR currently receives about £1 billion a year for R&D funding.
• The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) was established by Labour Government in 2006.
• NIHR funded and supported the recovery trial that discovered dexamethasone, reducing covid-19 mortality in hospitalised patients by one third.
• A strengthened research mandate would improve patient outcomes with lower mortality rates and higher confidence in care.
• £2.7 billion was generated by NIHR clinical research network-supported activity in 2018-19.
• The amendment seeks to legislate for an additional duty for the Secretary of State regarding research funding for the NIHR.
• Adult social care is a strategic priority for the NIHR and its research for patient benefit programme has an annual competition specifically for social care proposals.
• New clause 9 aims to modify the existing duty of the Secretary of State to 'promote research' to include a duty to 'support the conduct of research'.
• The NHS constitution pledges engagement but is not always adhered to.
• Cabinet Office guidelines of 2018 emphasize iterative consultation using digital tools.
• The Health and Social Care Act 2012 requires due regard for the NHS Constitution.
• The new clause would establish NHS suppliers as preferred providers of NHS contracts.
• Independent sector providers could hold NHS contracts after winning a competitive tender under the proposed clause.
• New Clause 14 amends Section 32 of the Human Tissue Act 2004 to prohibit receiving controlled material without appropriate consent or for financial gain.
• Subsection (1D) allows proceedings in England and Wales or Northern Ireland if the offender has a close connection with the UK.
• New Clause 15 amends section 1 of the Human Tissue Act 2004 to regulate public displays of imported cadavers.
• Since April, around 2,000 people have received an organ transplant in the UK.
• The independent China Tribunal found that forced organ harvesting has been committed for years throughout China.
• In 2018, a Real Bodies exhibition took place in Birmingham using bodies sourced from Dalian in China.
• New clause 14 aims to criminalize British citizens' involvement in forced organ trade abroad.
• New clause 15 would regulate the display of human bodies to ensure proper consent and dignity.
• New clause 14 seeks to extend section 32 of the Human Tissue Act 2004.
• Provisions in the Modern Slavery Act 2015 make it an offence for a UK citizen to purchase an organ for transplant overseas, carrying penalties up to life imprisonment.
• Section 32 of the Human Tissue Act prohibits rewarding supply or offer of controlled material.
• New clause 16 introduces a licensing regime for beauty and aesthetics treatments.
• It makes it an offence to practise without a licence.
• Regulations will specify the list of treatments, detailed conditions, and training requirements.
• Consultation with relevant stakeholders is required before regulations are made.
• Many cosmetic treatments are performed by unlicensed or inadequately trained practitioners.
• Facebook adverts highlight the proliferation of such treatments offered by unqualified individuals.
• A licensing scheme would set standards for training, qualifications, and competency requirements.
• The scheme would include periodic checks of premises and continuous professional development.
• It would provide indemnity insurance and access to redress schemes for complications.
• Currently, there are no provisions ensuring prescription-only medicines like Botox are used safely.
• London, Nottingham, and Essex have introduced local licensing schemes.
• Two Professional Standards Authority-approved voluntary registers exist but joining is not mandatory.
• There is significant support from organisations such as the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and 90% of the public.
• The scheme could lead to NHS savings through reduced A&E and GP visits for correcting mistakes made by unregulated practitioners.
• Government considers introducing a licensing system for beauty and aesthetics treatments.
• Private Member’s Bill by Laura Trott prohibits botox and dermal fillers for under-18s except in narrow circumstances, effective since October.
• All-party group inquiry report guides the government's assessment of further regulation needs.
• New clause 17 aims to place a duty on the Secretary of State for safe staffing levels.
• The Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act was passed in 2016.
• The Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act became law in 2019.
• The new clause would place a statutory duty on the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to maintain safe staffing levels.
• Clinical and other local leaders are currently responsible for ensuring safe staffing levels, supported by guidance from national bodies like the National Quality Board and NICE.
• The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates staffing levels in health and social care providers.
• Clause requires ICBs to produce a report every two years on workforce analysis.
• Report must cover current workforce status, requirements for the next 2, 5, and 10 years, and plans to address gaps.
• Consultations are required with trusts and foundation trusts in their area, primary care providers, and recognised trade unions.
• The proposed new clause would insert a duty into the National Health Service Act 2006.
• The current policy on occupational health services is inconsistent across different sectors of the NHS.
• Primary care trusts were abolished in the Health and Social Care Act 2012, reducing provision of occupational health services in primary community care settings.
• The NHS People Plan prioritises staff health and wellbeing.
• A new programme is being developed to strengthen and improve occupational health services in the NHS over five years.
• The programme aims to grow the occupational health workforce, develop their capability, empower local leadership, and focus on proactive and preventive care.
• Private provider involvement in hip replacements for NHS patients has increased.
• In 2011, the private patient income cap was raised from 3% to 50%, leading to concerns but limited actual impact.
• Only around a dozen trusts have significant private patient income currently.
• During the pandemic, private hospitals delivered only 0.08% of covid care and saw a decrease in non-covid healthcare delivery despite guaranteed operating costs.
• Questions remain about the total cost of contracts with private providers during the pandemic.
• In 2012, the private patient cap was abolished for foundation trusts.
• Foundation trusts must make the majority of their income from NHS activity.
• Non-NHS income accounts for less than 2% of total income, with less than 1% coming from private patients.
• The new clause would impose a bureaucratic burden and restrict freedom and autonomy of foundation trusts.
• The clause mandates publication of royal college reports following invited reviews.
• BBC “Panorama” revealed only 16 out of 111 reports were published over five years.
• There were 472 serious patient safety issues classified as never events in the last financial year before the pandemic.
• The new clause aims to improve transparency in NHS trust quality and safety reporting.
• Concerns have been raised that mandatory publication could discourage trusts from commissioning invited reviews.
• Over 100 reports are published annually covering clinical specialisms as part of the NHS England and NHS Improvement programme.
• The Care Quality Commission reported continued concern about variation in quality and safety of England’s maternity services.
• In the UK’s poorest areas, the stillbirth rate is twice that in the most affluent ones with pre-pandemic figures showing a 73% excess risk of neonatal death for babies in poor areas.
• The maternal mortality rate for black women is more than four times higher compared to white women and almost double for Asian women compared to white women.
• The new clause requires annual reports on quality and safety variations and disparities in maternal mortality rates.
• CQC monitors and regulates maternity services across England.
• MBRRACE-UK publishes annual reports on maternal deaths, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths by NHS providers, commissioning boards, and local authorities.
• The National Maternity and Perinatal Audit (NMPA) evaluates care processes and outcomes to identify improvements.
• New clause 28 would amend the National Health Service Act 2006.
• The amendment aims to ensure sufficient placement capacity for education in health and social care.
• It supports funding and promoting innovation in healthcare higher education.
• Consultation with universities, employers, providers is required.
• Additional £60 million is needed to train an extra 1,900 students accepted due to lowered grade thresholds during the pandemic.
• The Government has capped the training budget at £30 million, leading to a loss of £2,460 per student for universities in academic years 2020-21 and 2021-22.
• Starting from this year, 1,000 fewer students will be trained each year due to the budget cap.
• There were about 94,000 vacancies in healthcare, including nearly 40,000 nurse positions.
• In 2018, around 14,000 applicants were not accepted onto nursing courses.
• The phoenix programme helps migrants with medical qualifications to become doctors in the UK.
• New clause 27 seeks to place a specific duty on the Secretary of State to support workforce transformation.
• Section 1F(1) of the NHS Act 2006 sets out the existing duty for the Secretary of State to secure an effective system for education and training in the health service.
• Health Education England (HEE) undertakes work with further and higher education providers to ensure curriculums are up-to-date and relevant.
• HEE launched a digital readiness programme following the Topol review published in February 2019.
• HEE has committed £15 million to fund additional clinical placements in 2021-22.
• The funding will increase the number of placements offered to nursing, midwifery, and AHP students starting September 2021.
• The Government are working on making it easier for healthcare professionals from abroad to utilise their skills in the NHS while ensuring patient safety.