Found: We have recommended that an amendment be made to the current Health Bill to make sure that it happens

Found: Session 2026–27 Number Title Reference 2nd Independent Commission on Adult Social Care HC 420 1st Health Bill

Found: One of the Bills where we understand the process perhaps did not work so well was the Health Bill that

Found: Q15 Dr Prinsley: We are just doing a Health Bill and we are talking about the single patient record—

Found: Mental Health Bill Resolved, that the Committee inquire into the Mental Health Bill.

Found: legitimate alternative perspectives (which will no doubt play their part in the debates on the Health Bill

Found: legitimate alternative perspectives (which will no doubt play their part in the debates on the Health Bill

Found: In the House, you reassured me that the Government would use the current Health Bill to create that

Found: The secondary uses are covered in the Health Bill under the single patient record, so if the Bill goes

Found: The Health Bill would remove the duty for ICBs to have representatives of GPs, local authorities and

Found: employment 2001 Elected Plaid Cymru Member of Parliament for Caernarfon: 2004–05 Draft Mental Health Bill

Found: In our report on the Health Bill, we raised concerns that the Bill would amend integrated care board

Found: Session 2026–27 Number Title Reference 1st Health Bill 2026–27 HC 219 1st Special Palliative Care: Government

Found: The Government’s reasons for rejecting an amendment to the Mental Health Bill (the MH Bill) to introduce

Found: Scrutiny: Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill HC 789 3rd Legislative Scrutiny: Mental Health Bill

Found: As you all well know —we are currently going through the Health Bill —the NHS is undergoing a lot of

Found: • Noting that the Health Bill 2026 is expected to create single patient records for people receiving

Found: It is part of the Health Bill.

Found: 1st Report – Health Bill 2026–27 HC 219 Report

Found: It will be necessary to evaluate the reforms that will be brought about by the Mental Health Bill when

Found: private entities may need spelling out – Dr Lucy Series in evidence to JCHR inquiry on the Mental Health Bill

Found: outsourced mental health services (hospital based or after-care) through an amendment to the Mental Health Bill

Found: The Health Bill is currently going through Parliament. Does it take the action that we require?

Found: A number of you spoke in the Health Bill debate on Monday, was it?

Found: The Health Bill is currently going through Parliament. Does it take the action that we require?

Found: Dr Johnson: I am just about to go into the Health Bill Committee, which will go until the middle of

Found: Health and Social Care Committee Oral evidence: Health Bill, HC 219 Tuesday 2 June 2026 Ordered by the

Found: The modernisation health Bill that is currently going through Parliament has for data collection an

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the equality impact assessment Health Bill: ICBs as strategic commissioners, published on 14 May, what mechanisms they intend to use to ensure enhanced oversight of Integrated Care Board specialised commissioning.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Subject to the passage of the Health Bill, specialised services commissioned by integrated care boards (ICBs) will continue to operate within a framework of nationally-set standards, service specifications, and clinical commissioning policies to ensure consistent and equitable access to care across England.

Alongside ICB accountability for commissioning these services, the Department, through its new regional offices, will be responsible for providing oversight and assurance of both the commissioning system and the quality and performance of providers. This will include monitoring against national standards and quality and outcome metrics for different services.

In addition, ICBs will be supported in discharging their new commissioning responsibilities through seven Offices for Pan-ICB Commissioning, which aim to ensure that we maintain a critical mass of expert commissioning knowledge and the capability necessary for the effective and efficient commissioning of these important and complex areas of service provision.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the (a) number of hours of worked and (b) actual costs to date, (c) estimated future costs of external consultants in relation to the abolition of (a) HealthWatch England, (b) Health Service Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB), and (c) NHS England.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

An impact assessment on patient safety measures has been undertaken and published alongside the introduction of the Health Bill 2026. This document contains the following impact assessments, including sections on current estimates of transfer costs: Abolishing Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch; transfer of the Health Services Safety Investigation Body functions into the Care Quality Commission; and Care Quality Commission: extending the statute of limitations. The impact assessment can be viewed at the following link:

https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4124/publications

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the likely cost of abolition of (a) HealthWatch England, (b) Health Service Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB) and (c) the development and enactment of transfer schemes in connection with the transfer of HSSIB’s functions to the Care Quality Commission.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

An impact assessment on patient safety measures has been undertaken and published alongside the introduction of the Health Bill 2026. This document contains the following impact assessments, including sections on current estimates of transfer costs: Abolishing Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch; transfer of the Health Services Safety Investigation Body functions into the Care Quality Commission; and Care Quality Commission: extending the statute of limitations. The impact assessment can be viewed at the following link:

https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4124/publications

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the estimated (a) number and (b) cost of the redundancies due to the abolition of the NHS England; and what information his Department has (c) sent to and (d) received from the Treasury regarding (a) and (b).

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

An impact assessment on patient safety measures has been undertaken and published alongside the introduction of the Health Bill 2026. This document contains the following impact assessments, including sections on current estimates of transfer costs: Abolishing Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch; transfer of the Health Services Safety Investigation Body functions into the Care Quality Commission; and Care Quality Commission: extending the statute of limitations. The impact assessment can be viewed at the following link:

https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4124/publications

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to publish an impact assessment on the removal of the statutory requirement for councils of governors in NHS foundation trusts, particularly for those from marginalised communities.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Until such time as the Health Bill receives Royal Assent, the statutory requirements for councils of governors (CoGs) remain. All National Health Service foundation trusts (FTs) will be expected to have put in place effective arrangements for community engagement by the time the bill provisions to remove CoGs have commenced.

To ensure the effectiveness of these arrangements, they will be tested as part of ongoing assurance processes, including provider capability assessments, Care Quality Commission well-led assessments, and the assessment process for advanced foundation trust status.

If arrangements are found to be ineffective, there are a range of escalation approaches available. The appropriate intervention would depend on the circumstances and whether there were wider failures at the FT, but it could involve finding the trust in breach of the conditions of its provider licence and requiring the FT to develop and deliver a plan to address the issue.

The Department has published impact assessments for the Health Bill, which include an assessment of reform to the foundation trust model. This is available at the following link:

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/59-02/0009/ia_Structural_measures_to_ICBs.pdf

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take where an NHS foundation trust is found to have ineffective arrangements in place for local engagement.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Until such time as the Health Bill receives Royal Assent, the statutory requirements for councils of governors (CoGs) remain. All National Health Service foundation trusts (FTs) will be expected to have put in place effective arrangements for community engagement by the time the bill provisions to remove CoGs have commenced.

To ensure the effectiveness of these arrangements, they will be tested as part of ongoing assurance processes, including provider capability assessments, Care Quality Commission well-led assessments, and the assessment process for advanced foundation trust status.

If arrangements are found to be ineffective, there are a range of escalation approaches available. The appropriate intervention would depend on the circumstances and whether there were wider failures at the FT, but it could involve finding the trust in breach of the conditions of its provider licence and requiring the FT to develop and deliver a plan to address the issue.

The Department has published impact assessments for the Health Bill, which include an assessment of reform to the foundation trust model. This is available at the following link:

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/59-02/0009/ia_Structural_measures_to_ICBs.pdf

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of NHS Trust community engagement following the removal of the statutory requirement for Councils of Governors in the Ten Year Health Plan.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Until such time as the Health Bill receives Royal Assent, the statutory requirements for councils of governors (CoGs) remain. All National Health Service foundation trusts (FTs) will be expected to have put in place effective arrangements for community engagement by the time the bill provisions to remove CoGs have commenced.

To ensure the effectiveness of these arrangements, they will be tested as part of ongoing assurance processes, including provider capability assessments, Care Quality Commission well-led assessments, and the assessment process for advanced foundation trust status.

If arrangements are found to be ineffective, there are a range of escalation approaches available. The appropriate intervention would depend on the circumstances and whether there were wider failures at the FT, but it could involve finding the trust in breach of the conditions of its provider licence and requiring the FT to develop and deliver a plan to address the issue.

The Department has published impact assessments for the Health Bill, which include an assessment of reform to the foundation trust model. This is available at the following link:

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/59-02/0009/ia_Structural_measures_to_ICBs.pdf

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 10 June (HL671), what recommendations are they considering for the equitable distribution of general practitioners in England; and whether any amendments to implement any such proposals would be in scope of the NHS modernisation bill.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise that the uneven distribution of general practitioners (GPs) is a longstanding, generational challenge which successive administrations have sought to overcome. As we consider future interventions we are looking carefully at lessons from previous approaches, such as Medical Practices Committees, whilst taking account of the current workforce position and contracting landscape within General Practice.

We acknowledge the urgent challenge of ensuring practices facing particular workforce pressures have the resources to continue serving their patients. To address this, we are taking steps to increase capacity in GPs and ensure every practice has the necessary workforce to provide integrated, patient-centred services.

Following stakeholder feedback from the 2026/27 GP Contract consultation, we have introduced a practice-level GP reimbursement scheme using £292 million of repurposed funding from the current Capacity and Access Payment. This funding is available to practices to hire additional GPs or to fund additional sessions with existing GPs to improve access in practices. This aims to strengthen capacity, access, and improve patient satisfaction.

We have also increased flexibility of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) by removing the restriction that ARRS funding can only be used for recently qualified GPs, increasing the maximum reimbursement amount for GP roles to reflect experience, and enabling primary care networks to recruit a broader range of ARRS roles, where agreed with the commissioner.

We recognise the importance of ensuring funding for core GP services is distributed fairly between practices across the country and we know that the current distribution formula is considered outdated. The first phase of a review of the Carr-Hill formula concluded in May and the recommendations are with the Department for consideration.

We are grateful to Parliament for their scrutiny of the Health Bill and look forward to debating any amendments in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the North West maternity trial of the Single Patient Record, referred to in the Health Bill Committee on 16 June 2026, is being delivered through the Federated Data Platform; and what role (a) Palantir technologies and (b) the NHS AI Platform play in that programme.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Single Patient Record (SPR) and the NHS Federated Data Platform are separate programmes. The North West maternity work is at an early stage, and no final decisions have been made on the technical approach or delivery partners. NHS England will continue to consider how SPR aligns with existing National Health Service digital and data infrastructure, subject to appropriate safeguards, governance, and data protection requirements.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what demonstrations of (a) the maternity Single Patient Record system and (b) any tools used to (i) summarise patient data and (ii) construct clinical timelines have been provided to witnesses giving evidence to the Health Bill Committee; and whether those demonstrations were conducted using (A) the Federated Data Platform and (B) associated AI systems.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

NHS England has demonstrated an early prototype relating to the maternity element of the Single Patient Record (SPR). This was used to support user research and discussion about how maternity information could be presented to clinicians in future. The prototype was not a demonstration of a live maternity SPR system and was not connected to live National Health Service systems or live patient data.

The prototype showed an illustrative clinician-facing view using illustrative data. It was intended to demonstrate potential user experience concepts, including how relevant information might be grouped in a clinical summary or presented in a timeline-style view. It did not process live patient information, generate clinical summaries from patient records, or construct clinical timelines from operational systems.

The prototype did not use the NHS Federated Data Platform or associated artificial intelligence systems to summarise patient data or construct clinical timelines.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, where NHSE's powers to negotiate commercial agreements with companies whose products are undergoing NICE appraisal will be transferred.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Health Bill currently before Parliament will abolish NHS England and move the majority of its powers and functions to my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

Commercial negotiations will continue uninterrupted up to and beyond April 2027, when NHS England will cease to exist as a separate entity.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration has he made of the potential merits of maintaining HSSIB.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Health Bill includes clauses to strengthen patient safety by transferring the Health Services Safety Investigations Body’s investigation functions into the Care Quality Commission.

This follows the review of patient safety across the health and care landscape which identified that there were a large number of organisations carrying out reviews and investigations and that there was a need to streamline, simplify, and consolidate functions. This aligns with the findings in the 10-Year Health Plan.

An Impact Assessment has been published alongside the Health Bill.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of maintaining Healthwatch alongside increased levels of lived experience inclusion in commissioning processes.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Government recognises the valuable role Healthwatch has played in supporting patient and public involvement. However, Dr Penny Dash’s independent review of the patient safety landscape found the current system is too fragmented and does not always turn feedback into action. The Government has accepted Dr Dash's recommendation to bring together the work of Local Healthwatch with those who commission services. Through the Health Bill we are placing responsibility for obtaining and actioning the views of local people on health services with integrated care boards, and on care services with local authorities. Our intention is to bring patient voice closer to decision-makers, rather than maintaining a separate Healthwatch structure alongside new arrangements.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of combined authority mayors on ICBs.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Subject to its passage through Parliament, the Health Bill will provide for at least one integrated care board (ICB) member to be nominated by the mayor of each mayoral strategic authority in the ICB’s footprint.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, this will support greater alignment and co-ordination between local government and the NHS on strategic planning, including action to address the wider determinants of the health of local communities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of ICB clustering on patient voice and the efficacy of Local Healthwatch.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Health Bill, currently before Parliament, proposes abolition of Healthwatch arrangements nationally and locally. This follows the publication of the report by Penny Dash published in July 2025, which concluded that even though there are multiple organisations representing the voice of the user, including Local Healthwatch, patient experience has not been given the attention that it deserves.

We will make sure patients, service users and local people can influence the strategic planning of services, by placing responsibility for obtaining and actioning the views of all local people on health services with integrated care boards, including those that are clustering.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to prevent digital exclusion from increasing health inequalities in the context of the Health Bill.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Government’s Health Bill will improve services for patients, deliver efficiencies for the National Health Service and commits to reducing health inequalities.

Under the proposed legislation, NHS organisations must ensure all patients have equitable access to care, and that decisions or policies do not unfairly disadvantage people or lead to an increase in inequalities. All NHS organisations are legally obliged to not discriminate.

As part of its 10-Year Health Plan, the Government has also committed to delivering digital services that are accessible to all patients, now. The Government has tasked integrated care boards with mitigating any digital exclusion and ensuring that digital services become accessible to the whole population by 2028, including those who do not routinely use smartphones.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the potential savings to the public purse of abolishing Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The potential savings from abolishing Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch are dependent future policy decisions regarding the approach taken to collecting user experiences post-abolition. Our intention is to place responsibility for listening to patients and the public with the organisations that plan and deliver services. These are local authorities for social care, and integrated care boards for healthcare. At the national level, we are also bringing patient voice into the Department of Health and Social Care, through a new Patient Experience Directorate where it can drive real change.

As the detail of the future approaches are still in development phase, it is not possible to fully quantify cost benefits at this stage. The impact assessment published alongside the Health Bill provides quantification of any illustrative benefits where possible noting the assumptions made and is available at the following link:

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/59-02/0009/ia_Patient_safety_measures.pdf

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure eyecare services are protected in forthcoming legislation.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

The Health Bill will transfer statutory responsibility for commissioning primary ophthalmic services to integrated care boards (ICBs). Commissioning responsibility for these services has already been delegated by NHS England to ICBs since 2023, and funding is allocated to ICBs each year for this purpose. National Health Service sight testing services will continue to operate within a national regulatory and contractual framework, with contract terms set in regulations and fees set nationally through Directions. The bill will not affect patient eligibility for NHS sights tests.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to increase the accountability of Integrated Care Boards in relation to mental health prevention under the Health Bill.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Health Bill will strengthen the accountability of integrated care boards (ICBs), including for the delivery of mental health prevention, by increasing my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s oversight and intervention powers.

Under the bill, my Rt Hon. Friend will assume NHS England’s responsibilities for overseeing ICBs, holding them to account through the NHS Oversight Framework and an annual assessment against their statutory duties, including duties to improve population health. Where an ICB is failing, or at risk of doing so, my Rt Hon. Friend will be able to intervene.

The NHS Oversight Framework assesses ICBs against a consistent set of national priorities and metrics and includes measures relating to population health outcomes, inequalities, and prevention, as well as service access and delivery. These metrics, alongside wider contextual indicators, inform performance assessment and the response to it, including where additional support or intervention is required. This provides a mechanism to hold ICBs to account for prevention and early intervention, including in mental health.

My Rt Hon. Friend will also take on responsibility for publishing the NHS Standard Contract, which ICBs must use when commissioning services, including mental health services, enabling national requirements to be set for service provision and performance. In addition, the NHS Payment Scheme will continue to set the rules for how services are funded, supporting the delivery of national priorities such as early intervention and prevention.

Alongside these reforms, we are developing a new cross-Government mental health strategy with a strong focus on prevention and early intervention, to be published later this year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure future systems replacing Healthwatch be required to show how public feedback has influenced decisions.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Health Bill places responsibility for listening to patients and the public with the organisations that plan and deliver services, namely integrated care boards (ICBs) for healthcare and local authorities for social care.

ICBs will be required to publish an annual statement on how they have gathered feedback and what actions they have taken as a result of that feedback. We anticipate this will be included in ICBs’ annual reports.

Unlike ICBs, local authorities are not required to produce an annual report. In order not to place additional burdens on local authorities, the requirement will be for local authorities to provide information on how they have engaged with local people if requested by my Rt. Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. As part of their regulatory function, the Care Quality Commission will assess whether local authorities are meeting this duty, as part of their wider assessments of local authorities’ delivery of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014.

At the national level, we are also bringing patient voice into the Department through a new Patient Experience Directorate, where it can drive real change and directly inform national policymaking.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure a patient’s right to choose is protected and extended.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Patients have a legal right to choose where they attend their first outpatient appointment when referred for consultant‑led care. The Government is committed to protecting and strengthening patients’ right to choose.

The Elective Reform Plan, published January 2025, sets out plans to improve patient choice by empowering people to take control of their health by making the NHS App and Manage Your Referral website the default routes for patients to choose their provider, and improving information available to patients, such as waiting times. The 10-Year Health Plan sets out a transformed vision for elective care, that will ensure the National Health Service is receptive and reactive to patient preference, voice, and choice.

The Health Bill preserves and protects the existing patient choice duties.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consultation his Department held with patients, carers, NHS staff and voluntary sector organisations before bringing forward the Health Bill.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Health Bill gives effect to the Prime Minister’s March 2025 commitment to abolish NHS England, as well as reforms and recommendations set out in the 10-Year Health Plan and Dr Penny Dash’s review of patient safety across the health and care landscape, both published in July 2025. There was significant public, stakeholder, and workforce engagement during the development of 10-Year Health Plan. In addition, Dr Dash engaged with a wide range of stakeholders, including patients and user groups, commissioners, and providers of health and social care, and people who have been harmed by poor-quality care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department will take to ensure the independent oversight of complaints and safeguarding concerns under the reforms proposed in the Health Bill.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The independent oversight of complaints will continue. The independent Care Quality Commission will continue to perform its important role in ensuring National Health Service providers have an effective and accessible system for handling complaints from service users.

Statutory safeguarding concerns will continue to be managed through the safeguarding accountability and assurance framework, which sets outs the safeguarding roles and responsibilities of all individuals working in providers of NHS-funded care settings and NHS commissioning organisations. Oversight will continue to be provided by the regional safeguarding team and Regional Chief Nurse.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of transferring the functions of Healthwatch into Government or NHS bodies on patient representation; and what safeguards he will put in place to ensure (a) the independence of the patient voice, (b) public trust, and (c) accountability in patient engagement.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

An impact assessment has been undertaken and published alongside the introduction of the Health Bill 2026. It outlines the non-monetised benefits, including the streamlining of the landscape and legislation, avoiding duplication of activity, and increased accountability for listening to the patient and user voice in the commissioning and delivery of services.

Integrated care boards will have a statutory obligation to obtain the views of people who use health services, and their carers and representatives. Local authorities will have the same responsibility in respect of care services and their public health services. If an organisation is failing to carry out their statutory functions, there will be a power for my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to issue directions.

Patients will still be able to raise issues through patient participation groups where they exist, as well as through National Health Service and local authority complaints processes, the NHS Friends and Family Test, and national surveys.

The existing complaints regulations allow people to make a formal complaint to a provider or commissioner of services, and, ultimately, the appropriate ombudsman. Healthwatch had no legal responsibility for complaints and, therefore, the abolition of Healthwatch services will not affect the complaints process.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of abolishing local Healthwatch on public trust in providing feedback on health and care services.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

An impact assessment has been undertaken and published alongside the introduction of the Health Bill 2026. It outlines the non-monetised benefits, including the streamlining of the landscape and legislation, avoiding duplication of activity, and increased accountability for listening to the patient and user voice in the commissioning and delivery of services.

Integrated care boards will have a statutory obligation to obtain the views of people who use health services, and their carers and representatives. Local authorities will have the same responsibility in respect of care services and their public health services. If an organisation is failing to carry out their statutory functions, there will be a power for my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to issue directions.

Patients will still be able to raise issues through patient participation groups where they exist, as well as through National Health Service and local authority complaints processes, the NHS Friends and Family Test, and national surveys.

The existing complaints regulations allow people to make a formal complaint to a provider or commissioner of services, and, ultimately, the appropriate ombudsman. Healthwatch had no legal responsibility for complaints and, therefore, the abolition of Healthwatch services will not affect the complaints process.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of abolishing local Healthwatch on public trust in providing feedback on health and care services.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

An impact assessment has been undertaken and published alongside the introduction of the Health Bill 2026. It outlines the non-monetised benefits, including the streamlining of the landscape and legislation, avoiding duplication of activity, and increased accountability for listening to the patient and user voice in the commissioning and delivery of services.

Integrated care boards will have a statutory obligation to obtain the views of people who use health services, and their carers and representatives. Local authorities will have the same responsibility in respect of care services and their public health services. If an organisation is failing to carry out their statutory functions, there will be a power for my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to issue directions.

Patients will still be able to raise issues through patient participation groups where they exist, as well as through National Health Service and local authority complaints processes, the NHS Friends and Family Test, and national surveys.

The existing complaints regulations allow people to make a formal complaint to a provider or commissioner of services, and, ultimately, the appropriate ombudsman. Healthwatch had no legal responsibility for complaints and, therefore, the abolition of Healthwatch services will not affect the complaints process.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his oral contribution in response to the intervention by the Hon. Member for Huntingdon during the Health Bill debate on 1st June 2026, if he will write to the Member with an update on the provision of funding for an electronic patient record system at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in order to facilitate the HIMMS requirement of the New Hospital Programme.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

I am happy to write to the Hon. Member with an update.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, further to his answer on 1 June (HC Deb col 895) on the Health Bill, what safeguards he will put in place to ensure that Clauses 26-29 of Health Bill do not inadvertently (a) put General Ophthalmic Services budgets at risk and (b) lead to a postcode lottery of NHS eye tests.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

The Health Bill will transfer statutory responsibility for commissioning Primary Ophthalmic Services to integrated care boards (ICBs). Commissioning responsibility for these services has already been delegated by NHS England to ICBs since 2023, and funding is allocated to ICBs each year for this purpose. National Health Service sight testing services will continue to operate within a national regulatory and contractual framework, with contract terms set in regulations and fees set nationally through Directions. The bill will not affect patient eligibility for NHS sights tests.

Found: datasets often requires separate agreements and approvals from each holder, slowing research.23 The Health Bill

Social Care and Community Integrated Care’s Unfair to Care Report 2026

Found: Sponsorship) Tabitha Jay 18/12/2025 Local Government Discussion on the Royal Ascent of the Mental Health Bill

Found: Government

Found: Procurement and Human Rights Policy; the Department of Health regarding a potential for Public Health Bill

Found: Guardian for Health and Social Care

Found: single patient record (SPR), as part of announcements around the second reading of the government’s Health Bill

Found: In May 2026, the Government introduced the Health Bill as part of its investment and modernisation agenda

Found: key example was our investigation into out of area placements, which recommended that the Mental Health Bill

Found: key example was our investigation into out of area placements, which recommended that the Mental Health Bill

Found: of liberty safeguards were still going through the Parliamentary process as part of the Mental Health Bill

Found: 06/2026 from Karin Smyth MP to Roger Gale MP, Rupa Huq MP, Emma Lewell MP, and Jeremy Wright MP, Health Bill

Found: This will include identifying priorities for the P ublic Health bill and a longer -term vision .

Found: the People Bill, [the Railways Bill], the Commercial Payments Bill, the Sporting Events Bill, the Health Bill

Found: Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy In November 2024 the UK Government introduced the Mental Health Bill