Listen Up - Health & Social Care Bill

NRAS is one of forty charities and coalitions to have come together today to release the 'Listen Up' statement, calling for changes to the Health and Social Care Bill.

As the government’s NHS listening exercise comes to a conclusion, the charities have made a call for the views of patients to be at the heart of any new legislation.

This is a time of great uncertainty in the NHS and this uncertainty does not help anyone. The Government’s ‘Listening Exercise’ is therefore to be welcomed.

The Department of Health needs to use this time to substantially improve the Health and Social Care Bill, and although the upheaval in the NHS is a considerable challenge to all of those involved in health and social care, it is also an opportunity to address long standing inequalities. Currently, the Health & Social Care Bill does not live up to the aspirations set out in the Government’s White Paper.

In order to put patients at the heart of the NHS, improve health outcomes for all and empower clinicians, we believe the Government must:

1. Ensure GP Consortia effectively engage with all patients and put them at the heart of their plans
2. Improve integration across health and social care by strengthening the role of health and wellbeing boards and the NHS Commissioning Board
3. Create a Healthwatch that is independent, well-resourced, transparent and able to act as an advocate for all patients
4. Include measurements for outcomes of the most vulnerable 
5. Ensure children’s services are embedded in health and social care
6. Improve access to specialised services for those with complex needs

The 40 charities & coalitions are:

Action Against Allergy
Alzheimer's Society
The Anaphylaxis Campaign
Arthritis Care
The British Liver Trust
British Red Cross
The College of Optometrists
Crohn's and Colitis UK
Every Disabled Child Matters
Friends, Families and Travellers
Guide Dogs
The Lindsay Leg Club Foundation
Learning Disability Coalition
Lupus UK
Macular Disease Society
Mencap
The Meningitis Trust
The Mental Health Foundation
Migraine Action
The Migraine Trust
Mind
Muscular Dystrophy Campaign
The National Autistic Society
National Forum of People with Learning Disabilities
National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society
Organisation for the Understanding of Cluster Headache
Ostomy Lifestyle
The Patients Association
Parkinson's UK
Pelvic Pain Support Network
Primary Immunodeficiency Association
RNIB
RNID
Royal College of General Practitioners (Learning Disability group)
Scope
SeeAbility
Specialised Healthcare Alliance
Thyroid UK
United Response
WellChild