Speech

Queen's Speech: Health Bill

Notes on: "The voice of patients and the role of doctors will be strengthened in the National Health Service."

From:: Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street and Her Majesty the Queen
Published: 25 May 2010

Delivered on:: 25 May 2010 (Speaker's notes, may differ from delivered version)

The purpose of the bill

to implement the government’s proposals for a sustainable national framework for the NHS
to support a patient led NHS focused on outcomes
to deliver on the commitment to reduce bureaucracy

The main benefits of the bill

to create an NHS led by clinical decision-makers that is more responsive to patients and fosters continuous quality improvements
to help shape a healthcare system which drives up standards of care, eliminates waste and achieves outcomes that are amongst the best in the world
to focus more on patients, ensuring they genuinely share in making decisions about their care and have more choice and control

The main elements of the bill

to establish an independent NHS Board to allocate resources and provide commissioning guidance, and to allow GPs to commission services on behalf of their patients
to improve efficiency and outcomes by strengthening the role of the Care Quality Commission and developing Monitor into an economic regulator to oversee aspects of access and competition in the NHS
To take forward proposals to significantly cut the number of health quangos, helping cut the cost of NHS administration by a third

None

Existing legislation in this area

wide range of legislation would be affected, including the National Health Service Act 2006
further details will follow in due course

Devolution

The majority of issues addressed in this bill are devolved matters and generally apply to England only.

Published 25 May 2010