Clause 13 - Commission for health improvement: inspections and investigations
NHS Reform & Health Care Professions
4:45 pm
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire, Conservative)
We have some doubts about the overall structure that will apply, as a result of the amendments, to inspections of private sector premises used for NHS purposes and pure private provision. The issue is important, given the Government's announcement—or leak—about BUPA and the hospital in Redhill. The use of our capacity to deal with the needs of patients in the private sector as well as the public sector is clearly welcome, but further use of that approach raises issues about inspection and quality.
Last year, the Government set up the National Care Standards Commission, which starts work in April. Its job is to inspect and regulate health care in the independent and voluntary sectors, as well as social care premises. I do not understand the sense of two bodies inspecting the same premises. The NCSC will go into private premises and examine conditions. Why should it not consider what has happened to the NHS patients? Equally, the Commission for Health Improvement will no doubt inspect the premises on behalf of NHS patients, and will find things that it might feel are also relevant to the private sector. Should the inspections not be co-ordinated so that only one body visits each premises? Joint working is possible under section 9 of the Care Standards Act 2000, so may we have an assurance that that will always happen?
Do we need two regulatory bodies? The Government are keen on setting up committees in response to current issues, and several quality and safety bodies have been established. Historically, the
decision might have been sensible. About a year ago, when the Government had set their face against the use of the private sector, I remember the Secretary of State for Health saying that the NHS was thankfully a monopoly provider, and that it would long remain so under Labour. Now we hear something different. Given that circumstances have changed, is there not an opportunity to reconsider whether we need two bodies to do the same job on one group of premises? We could merely have one body for the private and public sector.
Today's issue of The Independent suggests that the ambition of the Secretary of State is to turn the Department into a health regulator. It states:
''The Department of Health is to be turned into an 'arms length' regulator of health standards in an attempt to release hospitals from the grip of central Government control''.
There is no sign of that in the Bill, but if it is the Government's intention that it genuinely be the regulator, that prompts two questions. First, why have a separate body—CHI—if the Government will carry out regulation at arm's length? Why not simply let the Department of Health do it? I suppose that the answer is that there is at least a flavour of independence about CHI. Secondly, why are numerous bodies needed?
I understand that, when the Minister and his officials gave instructions to the draftsmen, the NHS may always have been intended to be a monopoly provider. However, now that we know that the plan is different, should the thinking be reconsidered?