Clause 11 - Duty of quality
NHS Reform & Health Care Professions
11:30 am
Mr John Hutton (Minister of State, Department of Health; Barrow and Furness, Labour)
I do not intend to go into further detail about clause 11. I hope that I spelled out the issues a few minutes ago. The hon. Gentleman raised the
important issue of access to and around NHS sites for people with a disability. He gave the example of people who are blind. I strongly agree with his sentiments.
Given the extension of the definition of health care to the patient environment, the issues that the hon. Gentleman raised will fall well and truly within what we are trying to achieve. Issues such as providing signage sites and ensuring that blind and other disabled people have proper information to help them to get around sites fall four-square within the definition of the patient environment that we seek to add to clause 18. The hon. Gentleman made a fair point, and the commission will want to consider it.
Question put and agreed to.
Clause 11 ordered to stand part of the Bill.