Newspaper column 25 November 2021 - The Health and Care Bill

Last week was a busy and varied one. In Parliament I was able to take part in several debates as well as asking questions of Ministers. These included a debate on road traffic offences, speaking up on behalf of Ryan Saltern, a Cornish resident who was killed in a road incident, with the driver failing to report the crash for 36 hours. I sat on the Bill Committee for the Kept Animals Bill and also presented a Bill to Parliament on banning glue traps – a horrific method of pest control. In Defence Questions I also questioned the Minister on plans to have Falmouth benefit from the Government’s record investment in our defence programme.

This week the Health and Care Bill comes back to Parliament. The Health and Care Bill is another major part of the Government’s strategy, and builds on both proposals set out by the NHS for change in its Long Term Plan, as well as incorporating valuable lessons learnt from the pandemic that will benefit both staff and patients.

Our government is committed to delivering world-class care for patients and this Bill will help deliver that by building on the NHS’ own proposals for reform to make it less bureaucratic, more accountable, and more integrated in the wake of COVID-19.

These changes are vital to help our NHS build back better from the pandemic and it follows extensive discussions with NHS England, the Local Government Association and the health and care sector to refine this blueprint.

COVID-19 has reinforced the need for closer collaboration between the NHS, local authorities like Cornwall Council, and care providers to provide more joined up working. By necessity we saw during the pandemic that staff and patients were able to rapidly adopt new technologies to deliver better care. But at times in recent years the legal framework our system has to work within has made this more difficult, as it was not designed with this type of collaboration in mind.

The Bill ensures each part of England has an Integrated Care Board and an Integrated Care Partnership responsible for bringing together local NHS and local government, such as social care, mental health services and public health advice, to deliver joined up care for its local population. Clinicians, carers and public health experts will be empowered to operate collaboratively across health and care, as part of plans to tackle inequalities and level up health across the country. The Bill also introduces measures to tackle obesity and improve dentistry, which remains a big issue in Cornwall.

It will dispose of unnecessary bureaucracy that has held the health service back so that health and care staff can focus on patients, not paperwork, and ensure the system is able to flex to changing needs in the years to come. It will ensure NHS England is more accountable to government, and by extension Parliament, while ensuring our NHS retains everyday operational and clinical oversight. I look forward to seeing this Bill continuing to progress through Parliament this week and eventually come into law to improve health and care standards for all, as well as allowing our NHS and care providers the flexibilities to be the best they can be.

As ever, if you need my assistance with anything then my team and I are here to help. Please get in touch with me by email at Cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk , or by telephone on 01872 229698. I have now restarted my regular constituency advice surgeries, held in a covid-safe environment at my office, so please do get in touch should you wish to meet me about any matters that I can be of assistance with.