Clause 15 - Establishments of patients' forums
NHS Reform & Health Care Professions
6:00 pm
Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West and Abingdon, Liberal Democrat)
It is almost with a feeling of trepidation that I begin the debate on these important clauses. I note that my amendments have been signed by Conservative Members and I welcome that. Before the Minister tries to judge what I am about to say, patient and public involvement is not something that divides, or should need to divide, along party political lines. We should all be in the business of finding the best solution.
Resources do not play a huge part in the clauses. Many types of formula have been hit on to find the right approach, and the amendment constitutes one of them. I am happy for it to be described as a varied, amended or reformed status quo; that is what the Government intend for the NHS. The Minister has just said that it is not the intention to tear up or abolish the NHS and start again. On that basis, it is reasonable and appropriate that the Government consider amending the system before cancelling it out and imposing a new one.
A few things will be said at the beginning of the debate that will have been heard before, but bear restating. Those who support the amendments, which address the existing community health council structure, and those that address clause 19, which address the reform of the Association of Community Health Councils of England and Wales—here, we are talking about England—do not necessarily feel that every community health council is as good as another. In earlier debates, we would not have argued that every provider, or commissioner, was as good as another, even if they had all been given the same resources. However, that does not mean that we should abolish the lot. We should not abolish every provider or commissioner simply on the basis of varied performance; we should seek to ensure that they have the right powers, the right monitoring and the right support, both from the centre and from their own staff, to do the best possible job, at least to minimum standards.
Throughout this debate, which has now spanned two Parliaments, the Government have never set out clearly enough why the current system cannot be reformed and has to be abolished. That point has been made at length by Conservative Members, Liberal Democrat Members—including my hon. Friend the Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey)—and the former and current Chairmen of the Select Committee on Health.