Health and Social Care Bill

My Lords, I am very pleased to put my name to this amendment and I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Hennessy, on his tact and diplomacy in getting us to this point, and in getting agreement to have the constitution mentioned in the Bill, and in such a prominent part of it. In preparing a few supportive remarks, I had a look at the constitution because I was working for my noble friend Lord Darzi in a similar role to the one the noble Baroness, Lady Northover, has—as his support and his Whip—when we were working towards the constitution, and when it was discussed and adopted across government and Parliament. The importance of having it in the Bill is there in various key parts of the constitution, which are worth mentioning on the record here because we need to remember them as we move forward to discuss this Bill in all its glory in the next five or six weeks, or however long it takes us. The constitution says: "““The NHS is founded on a common set of principles and values that bind together the communities and people it serves—patients and public—and the staff who work for it””." It goes on to say that it, "““establishes the principles and values of the NHS in England. It sets out rights … and pledges which the NHS is committed to achieve””." It says: "““All NHS bodies and private and third sector providers supplying NHS services are required by law to take account of this Constitution in their decisions and actions””." That is a very important part of why this needs to be in the Bill. The final part which I would like to draw to your Lordships’ attention is point 6 of the guiding principles in the constitution, which is a commitment, "““to providing best value for taxpayers’ money and the most effective, fair and sustainable use of finite resources. Public funds for healthcare will be devoted solely to the benefit of the people that the NHS serves””." That is exactly right. It is not the shareholders of companies and not individuals who might seek to make a profit but the people whom the NHS serves, and the taxpayer.