NHS Redress Bill [HL]

I support the issue raised in relation to Clause 6. Much of what we think about this clause has already been said, and of course the Minister is already aware that we are all unhappy about the position of the NHSLA in this. Let us also remember that the Minister reiterated several times in the course of our debate on Monday that the patient was to be ““central to the scheme””. He stated that:"““One of the main objectives of the NHS redress scheme is to put the patient at the heart of the process when something goes wrong with their hospital care””.—[Official Report, 21/11/05; col. GC 331.]" But on reading Clause 6 and certain other clauses, it does not appear that the patient is in fact central because the patient would have great difficulty in starting the procedures off. There is little sense of urgency and no clarity about time limits. Moreover, given that we know from various bodies that the public seem to be concerned about independence, there does not seem to be any clear provision for such independence in the process. The noble Earl, Lord Howe, has made the case about a quasi-judicial procedure, but because this is about tort, one would expect to see some independence in the way that it is framed, and not held only by the NHSLA. For those reasons, we strongly support the proposal that Clause 6 should not stand part of the Bill.