Healthcare
Health Bill
“First, I must declare that my husband works for NHS England, which is a bit awkward, if I am honest. Today I will speak to a few different aspects of the NHS modernisation Bill, including the single patient record, the independence of the Health Services Safety Investigations Body, or HSSIB, and possible changes to the make-up of NHS foundation trust boards. I welcome the introduction of a single unified patient record, accessible to patients and clinicians in one place. Too often patients are forced to carry the burden of holding together their own medical history. I have heard the same story from countless constituents: they arrive at appointments with records that they have pieced together themselves, having to rehash their medical history over and over again to each new clinician. That clearly does not work for the patient, and it does not work for the clinician either, because when clinicians do not have access to the full picture, decisions are made with incomplete information, and the right diagnosis or treatment might be missed or, even worse, an unsafe care decision could be made. The single patient record addresses long-standing issues of fragmented records and poor communication between NHS services, and this Bill is an opportunity to make things work that much better, but that needs to come with strong safeguards. People rightly want to know that their personal, private information will only be used for proper purposes and will be kept secure. I urge the Secretary of State to take full notice of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee’s views on that. In other ways, the single patient record can make our data more secure. I recently received a letter containing personal information, and I had been sent to my last house but one. That is not secure at all. I will talk quickly about the abolition of HSSIB and its responsibilities moving to the CQC. There is a fragmented and confusing patient safety and regulatory landscape, but independence and the appearance of independence in patient safety investigations is very important. I would like strong reassurances from the Minister that there will be still an independent investigative function that patients and staff can have confidence in. Harmed families have told us just how important that is. Finally, I flag the changes to the make-up of NHS foundation trust boards. The Bill appears to remove the requirement for registered nurses and doctors to be represented on trust boards. I hope that is an oversight that can be examined and rectified in Committee. For all its faults, the NHS is there for us right from the beginning and right to the end of our lives, and for the most difficult moments in between. From the birth of our children through to every broken bone and every anxious wait in A&E, we are supported by the NHS and its staff. If we want it to remain for future generations, we have to be willing to modernise it, reform it and make sure it is fit for how people live today.”
