Health and Social Care (Re-committed) Bill: the NHS Future Forum and the Committee Stage Report

On 21 June 2011 the House agreed a motion re-committing certain clauses of the Health and Social Care Bill to the Public Bill Committee that had previously considered the Bill. The Committee met between 28 June and 14 July 2011 and agreed a number of Government amendments, introduced in response to the recommendations the ‘NHS Future Forum’. Key changes are intended to clarify the Secretary of State for Health’s overall responsibility for the NHS, to ensure good governance for the new groups that will be responsible for commissioning NHS-funded services, to strengthen duties to involve the public and health professionals in decision making, and to amend duties in relation to the role of competition and integration in the health service. The Bill is due to have its Report stage and Third Reading on 6 and 7 September 2011.