Clause 11
Health Bill [Lords]
3:00 pm
Stephen O'Brien (Shadow Minister, Health; Eddisbury, Conservative)
I am glad that the Minister has said that it is more than an experiment, because his immediate predecessors in the Health Department made it clear that it was very much more than an experiment; that it was very much the direction of travel. To pick up on a couple of his phrases, the expressions that his predecessors used were a touch less cautious and perhaps emphasised less that the system applied to such a limited number of people. It is important—not least because it appears in the legislation—and is very much seen as one of the central bricks in the wall of the future of care .
As we move through the amendments, we need to be clear that we are talking about what is written in the Bill—direct payments—and put that in the context of what the Minister calls personal health budgets, which were originally described by us as individual budgets. The nomenclature is neither here nor there, but the point is that within the budgetary process there will arise the question of who makes the payment and handles the cash. The Minister strayed perilously close to making an unnecessarily contentious point, but there is no one—across the House—saying that this is anything to do with enabling a private approach. His own side has been very conscious of not wanting it branded as some form of voucher scheme. Interestingly, a consensus has developed across the House that the right forward direction should not be impeded and hindered by the prejudice of a number of people—again across the House—who are fearful of the implications of anything that could be equated to a voucher scheme. We are very much at one with that careful approach.
I hope therefore that we shall not find, as we proceed with the clause, that our discussion is itself impeded by such a mental map on the Minister’s part. I am prepared, of course, to withdraw amendment 186, because we shall find plenty of opportunity to explore how this works. As we proceed, it is vital that we ensure that patients feel in control of their destiny when it comes to their care and that they can command the quality in accessing that care. Everything we can do to enhance the provisions in this chapter will be vital in ensuring that what is intended to be delivered can be delivered. As I have said, we have urged the Government to introduce these measures for years, so I hope that they realise that they have our support. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.