Health Bill [HL]

Amendment 22 would place a duty on the Secretary of State to take into account any impact on bringing together health and social care when conducting any review of the NHS Constitution. I think that it would be helpful if I first give some context around the proposals for the review of the constitution. As we have said previously, the intention behind the 10-year review is to keep it up to date and to ensure that it remains fit for purpose. It is a way of ensuring that, while remaining an enduring document, the constitution can keep up with changes in policy and the law and with people’s changing expectations of the NHS. We have not sought to specify in the Bill particular areas that the review should take into account over and above others, nor do I think that it would be appropriate to do so. I appreciate, however, that the noble Baronesses, Lady Tonge and Lady Barker, were concerned at Second Reading that the NHS Constitution did not give enough attention to the interface between the NHS and social care. I should like to reassure her on two counts. First, of course it remains the Government’s priority that the NHS and social care systems should work together as seamlessly as possible. For example, following High Quality Care for All, we are piloting new models of integrated care provision and looking at innovative ways of improving the interface between health and social care systems. Secondly, although the NHS Constitution is a constitution for the NHS and not for social care, it highlights throughout the importance of joined-up services. For example, one of the seven principles is: "““The NHS works across organisational boundaries and in partnership with other organisations in the interest of patients, local communities and the wider population””." The principle goes on to say: "““The NHS is committed to working jointly with local authorities and a wide range of other private, public and third sector organisations at national and local level to provide and deliver improvements in health and well-being””." The NHS Constitution also contains a pledge on the part of the NHS to make the transition as smooth as possible when patients are referred between services. This is particularly relevant to transitions between health and social care services. Noble Lords will be aware that Clause 5 would require the Secretary of State to report on the effect of the constitution every three years. Such a report would of course look at partnerships and at working across organisational boundaries, given that these are such important themes in the NHS Constitution. The other issue is whether there should be a social care constitution. One is not planned but we are about to launch a Green Paper on social care and I have no doubt that that will be debated in due course. I hope that I have reassured the noble Baroness sufficiently on this matter for her to withdraw the amendment.