In the statement the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care explains that “Even before the pandemic, it was clear reform was needed: to update the law, to improve how the NHS operates and reduce bureaucracy.” He mentions that “Local government and the NHS have told us they want to work together to improve health outcomes for residents.”
He explains that,
“the response to COVID-19 has, in my view, accelerated the pace of collaboration across health and social care, showing what we can do when we work together – flexibly – adopting new technology focused on the needs of the patient and setting aside bureaucratic rules. The pandemic has made the changes in this white paper more, not less, urgent, and it is our role in Parliament to make the legislative changes that are needed.”
The full statement can be accessed here.
On the same day the Department of Health and Social Care published a press release titled – Blueprint launched for NHS and social care reform following pandemic.
The press release details some of the key measures included in the ‘Integration and Innovation: working together to improve health and social care for all’ white paper.
Such as :
- The NHS and local government to come together legally as part of integrated care systems to plan health and care services around their patients’ needs, and quickly implement innovative solutions to problems which would normally take years to fix, including moving services out of hospitals and into the community, focusing on preventative healthcare.
- Under the proposals, the NHS will only need to tender services when it has the potential to lead to better outcomes for patients.
- The upcoming bill will put the Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch permanently into law as a statutory body so it can continue to reduce risk and improve safety.
- A package of measures to deliver on specific needs in the social care sector. Such as new assurance and data sharing measures in social care, update the legal framework to enable person-centred models of hospital discharge, and introduce improved powers for the Secretary of State to directly make payments to adult social care providers where required.
- New requirements about calorie labelling on food and drink packaging and the advertising of junk food before the 9pm watershed.
The full press release can be found here.
“The Integration and innovation: working together to improve health and social care for all “ policy paper outlining the legislative proposals for a Health and Care Bill can be accessed here.
The Kings Fund is an independent charity working to improve health and care in England. Their response to the Integration and Innovation White Paper includes:
- A welcome shift away from the old legislative focus on competition between health care organisations towards a new model of collaboration, partnership and integration.
- Concern that Ministers are also proposing they have the power to intervene earlier in local decisions about the opening and closing of NHS services.
- Noticing that the latest proposals add up to a major reform package at a time when the NHS, local authorities and charities are still battling Covid-19. In implementing these proposals, it will be essential to avoid distracting health and care services from dealing with the crisis at hand.
Their full response can be found here.