Statement on the Health and Care Bill

Statement on the Health and Care Bill

Members of the House of Lords voted through an amendment to the Health and Care Bill, which would compel UK Government Ministers to produce regular health and care workforce projections.

However, MPs may seek to overturn this decision when the Health and Care Bill goes back to the House of Commons.

The Health and Care Bill introduces new measures to promote and enable collaboration in health and care, building on earlier recommendations made by NHS England and NHS Improvement in 2019.

The Bill also contains new powers for the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to intervene in the health and care system, and targeted changes to public health, social care, and the oversight of quality and safety.

The College encourages the UK Government to think again about measures that could undermine clinical judgement and delay improvements to patient care.

Professor Andrew Elder, President of The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh said:

High quality healthcare can only be delivered if there are sufficient numbers of well trained staff. The UK must have processes in place to ensure that the NHS workforce is sufficient to meet the needs of the patients it serves and deliver the high quality care that our patients deserve. We welcome this amendment, which makes that requirement more achievable.