Clause 2
Health Bill [Lords]
4:00 pm
Sandra Gidley (Romsey, Liberal Democrat)
I rise to support those points. One issue debated in the other place was that, in the handbook, there is a greater degree of information that is not available in the constitution itself. If one were to open the “Handbook to the NHS Constitution” at random, one might read:
“you have the right to make choices about your NHS care and to information to support these choices. The options available to you will develop over time and depend on your individual needs.”
However, when one looks at the explanation of what that means, a number of persons are excluded—for example, those detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, military personnel and prisoners. A number of services are also excluded. For some reason, maternity services are excluded, which is quite alarming, as are mental health services. That will be of concern to a number of people who may already have issues with the mental health services that they receive. That is a contentious area where service users sometimes have a different perception from health professionals regarding what treatment they might benefit from. I certainly support the amendment, because it seems that the handbook will be revised, and it would be much more useful if it were referred to in the legislation.