The work of every Government department is scrutinised by a departmental select committee of the House of Commons. The committees also conduct specific inquiries relating to the departments' work.
Select committees accept written representations and receive oral evidence from a series of witnesses. Often these hearings take place in public. Click on the links below to download recent evidence submitted from the NHS Confederation to select committee.
Health Select Committee inquiry on the contribution of the NHS to reducing health inequalities
On 3 April 2008 PCT Network director, David Stout, was called by the Health Select Committee to give oral evidence on behalf of the NHS Confederation on the contribution of the NHS to reducing health inequalities. Following on from the written evidence submitted by the Confederation in January, David raised our points that addressing health inequalities requires a partnership approach; PCTs need to find ways to incentivise and support clinicians to choose to practise in areas of high deprivation; the Minimum Practice Income Guarantee should be replaced or phased out; and that work needs to be done to tackle the stark physical health inequalities of mental health service-users.
The inquiry focuses on several areas, including:
- The extent to which the NHS can contribute to reducing health inequalities
- The distribution and quality of GP services and their influence on health inequalities
- The effectiveness of public health services at reducing inequalities by targeting key causes
- Whether specific interventions designed to tackle health inequalities have proved effective and cost-effective
- The success of NHS organisations at co-ordinating activities with other organisations.
- The NHS Confederation submitted evidence to the Health Select Committee on the contribution of the NHS to reducing health inequalities in January 2008.
NHS Confederation gives evidence to MPs on cross-border healthcare
The NHS Confederation has submitted written evidence to the Welsh Affairs Committee's inquiry into the provision of cross-border public services. The Committee also called the Confederation to give oral evidence on Tuesday 18 March. Read our written submission.
NHS Confederation comments on Liberal Democrat proposals for health
On Tuesday 22 January, the Liberal Democrats published their vision for the NHS, Empowerment, Fairness and Quality in Health Care. The policy paper will be voted on at the Liberal Democrat's spring conference and could become the core of their health policy ahead of the next general election.
Our response agreed that there is a real need to develop greater accountability in the NHS. It is important that the public are aware of and involved in the decisions taken about their healthcare by primary care trusts.
We also commented that our members are committed to this issue ahead of the launch of our report, Principles for accountability: putting the public at the heart of the NHS. Our report puts forward clear principles for local accountability arrangements, intended to enable strong governance and decision making which involves local people. Such systems should be accessible, transparent and inclusive, and crucially allow for local flexibility, and be responsive to the needs of the local population.
However, we were disappointed to see the Liberal Democrat's proposed changes to the SHA model. The last thing that the NHS needs is further restructuring and disruption to patient care. Both the existing structures and new accountability arrangements of the NHS need time to bed in and develop their full potential.
In addition, we recognised there is a strong and very sensible commitment to mental health in the paper which we welcome wholeheartedly. The argument for addressing the number of people who are essentially stuck on incapacity benefit as a result of suffering mental illness is compelling both economically and morally.
We were also impressed by the equal prominence given to measuring outcomes in both mental and physical health. Mental health goes hand in hand with physical health so it is absolutely right to see outcomes measured equally.
NHS Employers gives oral evidence to Health Select Committee inquiry on Modernising Medical Careers (MMC)
Sian Thomas, deputy director of NHS Employers, faced the Health Select Committee on 24 January to give oral evidence on Modernising Medical Careers. An uncorrected transcript of the session will be published on the Health Select Committee's web pages soon. Read our written evidence to the inquiry.
NHS Confederation submits oral evidence to MPs on GP access
On 23 January NHS Confederation representatives gave oral evidence to a cross-party group of MPs on GP access and primary care. Read our written evidence to inquiry by the all party parliamentary group on primary care and public health here.
Health Select Committee inquiry on NICE
As part of their inquiry on NICE, we submitted written evidence to the House of Commons Health Select Committee. Dr Gill Morgan, NHS Confederation chief executive, and Lise Llewellyn, PCT Network chair, also appeared as witnesses for the inquiry and gave oral evidence.
Health Select Committee inquiry on NHS dental and orthodontic services
The NHS Confederation has submitted evidence to the Health Select Committee on NHS dental services.
Based on views of our members the key points were:
- PCTs have lacked the capacity to realise the potential of the contract - both in management resource and access to dental public health expertise. PCTs will be aiming to address this shortfall as part of the World Class Commissioning programme, currently underway.
- There is an opportunity to consider the future direction of dental services within the Primary and Community Services Strategy, which is being produced as part of Professor Lord Darzi's NHS Next Stage Review.
- PCTs need to consider dental services alongside all their other local priorities. We estimate that it would cost £2.3bn to introduce full coverage of NHS dentistry across the country.
- Clinical engagement is crucial; where good relations are developed, good performance management arrangements are usually in place. This is especially important to improve the quality of services.
- Incentives for prevention and health promotion should be strengthened.
- Funding needs to be reviewed due to the shortfall created as a result of less income from patient charges than expected and due to the consequences of allocations based on historical activity. This is particularly significant in the run up to 2009 when PCT allocations for dentistry cease to be ring-fenced.
Joint Committee on the Draft Climate Change Bill report published
The Parliamentary Joint Committee tasked with scrutinising the Draft Climate Change Bill published its report on the Bill on Friday 3 August. The NHS Confederation welcomes the Committee's report and the recommendation to set statutory emissions targets at a minimum level.
We would urge the government to take up the NHS Confederation's recommendation to include a health expert in the proposed Committee on Climate Change, given that this is such an important challenge for the NHS.
The NHS, as one of the world's largest and resource-hungry public services, has a major role to play in tackling climate change. Furthermore, as the UK's largest employer, the NHS can help promote positive changes in attitude among its 1.3 million staff. NHS leaders are already doing a great deal to address the problem of climate change and our research shows they feel they should do more to deal with this critical issue.
Our recent report - Taking the temperature - revealed that the NHS will have to work hard to reduce its energy consumption and meet the UK energy white paper's target of reducing emissions to 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2010 and 60 per cent by 2050. The sheer scale of the NHS, with one million patient contacts every 36 hours, means the organisation has a considerable carbon footprint, but also the potential to promote positive change.
The impact of climate change on the general health of the UK population will be a significant additional pressure on the NHS. A warmer, more variable climate may mean an increase in heat-related deaths, insect-borne disease and respiratory disease.
Read our written evidence to the Committee.
We have also formally responded on behalf of our members to the Government's consultation on the Draft Climate Change Bill and you can read our response here, which has been submitted with copies of our new report Taking the Temperature.
Cabinet Office good practice on consultations
This Cabinet Office consultation is particularly relevant in light of the duty to involve and consult patients and the public on the planning, design and delivery of health services (section 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001). And the Local Government and Public Involvement bill currently going through Parliament is looking to enhance the duty to involve and consult. The consultation document can be found on the Department of Health website. Please copy any response to Tom.Smith@nhsconfed.org
Making experiences count
The Department of Health complaints consultation proposed unifying and reforming the current arrangements for complaints handling across health and social care. The Department of Health plans to unify complaints across health and social care while becoming more flexible and supporting learning. We support these principles and staff and members have met with DH officials and attended stakeholder events. Read our response in full.
Conservative public health consultation
The NHS Confederation has responded to the Conservatives' consultation on its plans aimed at transforming public health and improving the well-being of British people. They looked for feedback on how to create the right legislative and administrative framework at Government level to support public health initiatives at a local level. They also noted their particular concern in rising levels of obesity, the increase in cases of sexually-transmitted disease and alcohol-related illness. Read the NHS Confederation response. We have also produced a briefing for members.
Health Select Committee
The NHS Confederation regularly gives written and oral evidence to the Health Select Committee. We have given written evidence for inquiries on:
Public Administration Select Committee
The NHS Confederation also regularly gives written and oral evidence to the Public Administration Select Committee. We have given written evidence for inquiries on:
Joint Committee on Human Rights
The NHS Confederation has welcomed a report from the joint human rights committee in Parliament. The report calls for an entire culture change in the NHS to ensure older people are treated with dignity and respect.
The NHC Confederation gave written and oral evidence for the report and completed a series of interviews with trusts that are trailblazing a human rights approach to providing care.
The committee found that, while some older people receive excellent care, there are concerns about poor treatment, neglect, abuse, discrimination and ill-considered discharge. The committee recommended legislative changes and a role for the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights.
In the committee's view there is a significant distinction between a 'duty to provide' under care standards legislation and a 'right to receive' under human rights legislation. The committee recommends that the Government and other public bodies should champion understanding of how human rights principles can help transform health and social care services.
Read the committee's full report
Read the NHS Confederation's written and oral evidence
The Conservative Public Service Improvement Group
The Public Service Improvement policy group is one of four key consultation groups set up by David Cameron to formulate future Conservative policy. The Public Service Improvement Group released their interim report and consultation on health in October 2006, entitled 'The Wellbeing of the Nation'. The NHS Confederation submitted written evidence to the consultation. CPSIG submission.
The Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) Health Committee
As a key health stakeholder, the NHS Confederation submitted evidence to the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) Health Committee enquiry 'to review the progress of the NHS under Labour and the mix of the private sector providers in the NHS and the roles, limits and regulation of markets in the National Health Service'. This committee is one of a range Labour Party committees which work in parallel to the Departments of State.
Submissions were invited to be presented to the Secretary of State and her ministerial team as well as forming a basis of a submission to the PLP and the Labour Party's National Policy Forum. PLP submission.
