The NHS Alliance responds to the King's Speech and NHS Modernisation Bill

Responding to the King's Speech and the announcement of an NHS Modernisation Bill, the deputy chief executive of The NHS Alliance, Sarah Walter, said:

“The NHS Modernisation Bill, included in the King’s Speech, will be key to delivering the government’s vision as set out in the 10 Year Health Plan.

“The abolition of NHS England with functions transferred either to the secretary of state or devolved to integrated care boards (ICBs) will provide an opportunity to streamline decision-making from the centre and must be accompanied by measures and ways of working which empower local leaders to design services for their communities. In doing this it is important that the government recognises the need for a decisive shift of authority from ministers and national bureaucracy to local leaders.

“The government is also looking to rationalise bodies responsible for patient safety and experience. It should be mindful of concerns about the practicability of absorbing local Healthwatch functions into ICBs when the number of these bodies has already been halved, and of the risk of conflicts of interests which could erode patient confidence.

“A further key proposal is the plan to establish a single patient record (SPR). This should make the NHS work better, helping different services join up more efficiently and giving patients more control over their own care. But there are important questions over where data controllership will reside and what safeguards will be in place.

“We are expecting substantial reforms to the governance of trusts and ICBs. These should ensure appropriate checks and balances while supporting local empowerment.“