Clause 28 - The Family Health Services appeal authority
Health and Social Care Bill
5:45 pm
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
Clause 28 establishes the Family Health Services Appeal Authority as an independent body, whereas it is currently set up as a special health authority. Most of the issues surrounding this provision would be best dealt with in a short clause stand part debate, so I shall focus my remarks narrowly on the amendments.
Amendments Nos. 185 and 186 seek to insert into the new schedule 9A to the 1977 Act two additional classes of member that must be included—a medical practitioner providing personal medical services and a dental practitioner providing personal dental services. Much of what my hon. Friend the Member for New Forest, West said in the previous debate is applicable again here. Whether we like it or not, it is clear that personal medical services will represent a growing share of family practitioner services. It seems rather inappropriate that the FHSAA that will be dealing with appeals in respect of GMS and PMS providers should have a statutory inclusion of a GMS or GDS provider, but no statutory inclusion of a PMS or PDS provider. We would all be wary of creating an unwieldy body.
Amendment No. 34, which we will discuss next, connects with the discussion because it deals with the overall size of a body if a percentage of its membership were laypeople. There is no robust reason for having statutory GMS and GBS representation but no statutory PMS and PDS representation. If, as the hon. Member for Bristol, North-West (Dr. Naysmith) said, that is not to send out the signal that PMS and PDS are somehow inferior cousins, the Minister must explain why those organisations are not to be represented on the FHSAA.