Reorganisation of the NHS and social care

That this House believes that the proposals contained within the Government’s white paper entitled Integration and Innovation: working together to improve health and social care for all represent a major reorganisation of the NHS; is concerned that the Government’s plan to divide the NHS into local statutory Integrated Care Systems creates the potential for private companies to take key roles in developing plans to address people's health, social care and public health needs; is further concerned that such companies would then be in a position to influence decisions about the deployment of public resources, presenting the possibility for conflicts of interest; recognises concerns that local plans will differ and so embed a postcode lottery in provision of those services; expresses concern about the proposed powers to remove a profession from regulation, remove the existing legal requirement for all assessments of vulnerable patients to take place prior to hospital discharge and broaden the scope for ministerial intervention in reconfigurations and is concerned about the serious implications that those proposals will have for patients and NHS and social care staff; further believes that during a pandemic, when NHS and social care staff have been under immense pressure and are exhausted, is no time to carry out any major reorganisation of the NHS; and calls on the Government to pause that whole process until after all covid-19 restrictions have been lifted and then carry out a full public consultation so that patients, NHS staff, care workers and unpaid carers can have their say in response to those proposals.