Clause 15 - Establishments of patients' forums
NHS Reform & Health Care Professions
6:00 pm
Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West and Abingdon, Liberal Democrat)
I beg to move amendment No. 163, in page 20, line 3, leave out subsections (1) and (2) and insert—
''(1) The Community Health Councils established for districts in England under section 20 of the 1977 Act are reformed and are renamed Councils for the Involvement of Patients and Public (''Councils'') and the Community Health Councils Regulations 1996 are amended accordingly.
(2) The Secretary of State shall, following consultation with the Association of Community Health Councils for England and Wales, Community Health Councils, patients' and carers' organisations and the wider community, make regulations in relation to Councils in England providing for—
(a) the inclusion in Councils' annual reports of details of the arrangements maintained in that year for obtaining the views of patients, carers and the wider community in their localities;
(b) the commissioning of, or delivery by, Councils of services under section 19A of the 1977 Act (independent advocacy services) within their areas;
(c) the preparation of reports on the operation of the independent advocacy service to be compiled by Councils and provided to the Secretary of State, the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health, the relevant overview and scrutiny committees, Strategic Health Authorities, NHS trusts, and other appropriate organisations;
(d)(i) promotion by Councils of the involvement of members of the public in its area in consultations or, processes leading (or potentially leading) to decisions by those mentioned in section 19(3), or the formulation of policies by them, which would or might affect (whether directly or not) the health of those members of the public;
(ii) co-operation with the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health in carrying out this function;
(e) the provision of advice, reports and recommendations by Councils to strategic health authorities, Primary Care Trusts, NHS trusts, and overview and scrutiny committees;
(f) the furnishing and publication by NHS trusts, Primary Care Trusts, Strategic Health Authorities and overview and scrutiny committees of comments on the reports, recommendations and representations of Councils referred to in paragraph (e) above and paragraph (h) below;
(g) the discharge of any function of a council by a committee of the Council or a joint committee appointed with another Council;
(h) representation by Councils of the views of members of the public in its area about matters affecting their health to persons and bodies which exercise functions in a Council's area (including in particular the overview and scrutiny committees and the joint overview and scrutiny committees mentioned in sections 7, 8 and 10 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001);
(i) co-operation with The Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health in its duties.''