Moved by
Lord Warner )
112: After Clause 80, insert the following new Clause—
“PART 1A
HEALTH AND CARE SUSTAINABILITY
Office for Health and Care Sustainability
(1) There is to be a body corporate, independent of the Government, called the Office for Health and Care Sustainability (“the Office”) to safeguard the long-term sustainability of an integrated health and adult social care system for England.
(2) The Office must be established within six months of the passing of this Act and must publish a report of its initial findings relating to its main functions within a year of its establishment.
(3) The role of the Office is to continually assess the outlook for the health and care system over the coming five, 10 and 15 years.
(4) The Office has no function in operational or service delivery aspects of the health and care system.
(5) The Office must—
(a) monitor and publish data relating to demographic trends, disease profiles and the likely pace of change relating to future service demands,
(b) assess the workforce and skills mix required to respond to those changes and publish regular reports on those matters, and
(c) consider the stability of health and adult social care funding relative to changing demographic and disease trends, including the alignment between health and adult social care funding, and publish regular reports.
(6) The functions of the Office are to be exercised on behalf of the Crown as if it was a public department.
(7) The Office is to consist of—
(a) an executive chair appointed by the Secretary of State with the consent of the Public Accounts and Health Select Committees of the House of Commons,
(b) two other members appointed by the Secretary of State with the consent of the Public Accounts and Health Select Committees of the House of Commons, and
(c) two other members nominated by the Office and appointed by the Secretary of State.
(8) The initial appointments under subsection (7) are for a term of five years and no more than two terms may be served.
(9) The remuneration of the executive chair is to be agreed by the Secretary of State but may not be less than that paid to the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Care; and all other salaries and gratuities for members may be agreed by the Office with the consent of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
(10) The Office may employ staff on terms and remuneration consistent with that of the civil service.
(11) The Office may—
(a) establish such committees and sub-committees as it deems necessary,
(b) determine its own procedures and those of its committees and sub-committees, and
(c) do anything calculated to facilitate, or conducive or incidental to, the carrying out of any of its functions.
(12) The annual budget of the Office is to be provided by the Secretary of State after consultation with the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons.
(13) The Office must keep proper accounts and records in relation to its accounts, and must prepare and publish each year an audited statement of accounts.
(14) The Office must prepare an initial report on its work within one year of its establishment, and thereafter annually, and may at any time publish a report on its functions when it considers that this assists safeguarding the long-term sustainability of an integrated health and adult social care system in England.
(15) The Secretary of State must lay any report prepared by the Office before both Houses of Parliament.”
Member’s explanatory statement
This amendment implements recommendations 33 and 34 of the 2017 report by the House of Lords Select Committee on the Long-term Sustainability of the NHS and Adult Social Care. It draws on the legislation setting up the Office for Budget Responsibility.