Health and Social Care Bill clears latest Lords hurdle
New laws designed to integrate health and social care services better to ensure the failures in patient safety exposed in the Mid Staffordshire scandal are not repeated have cleared their latest Lords hurdle.
The legislation is intended to spare patients the frustration of having to repeatedly tell health staff their problems in an effort to improve safety, according to Lord Ribeiro, a former president of the Royal College of Surgeons, who introduced it in the Lords.
The Health and Social Care (Safety and Quality) Bill was introduced by fellow Tory Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford) in the Commons, and also calls for the introduction of a single patient identifier to ensure information is always shared between the various bodies involved in a person’s care.
It passed through its committee stage unamended after peers withdrew various proposed changes relating to patient data and the procedures under the legislation.
They had been asked not to amend the Bill, which is backed by the Government, to ensure its safe passage to the statute book before the election.
It will now proceed to report stage and third reading in the Lords. If peers leave the legislation unchanged, it will become law – but any changes would wreck the Bill as the Commons will no longer consider private member’s bills.
Speaking at second reading, Health Minister Earl Howe said: “We must never forget the terrible events which occurred at the former Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, which demonstrated what can happen when providers put other priorities before safety.
“As highlighted by the Francis inquiry report, we have much to improve in patient safety and to avoid a repetition of those tragic events.”
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