Health Management and Policy Alert

Health and Care Bill: combined impact assessments

Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) - 
The Health and Care Bill was introduced to Parliament on 6 July 2021 and the legislation aims to build on work to make the health and care system more integrated and accountable. This collection of documents examines the costs, benefits, risks and mitigations of the proposed changes. 

• Impact assessments

Build back better: our plan for health and social care

HM Government -

This paper sets out the government’s new plan for health and social care. It provides an overview of how this plan will tackle the electives backlog in the NHS and put the NHS on a sustainable footing. It sets out details of the plan for adult social care in England, including a cap on social care costs and how financial assistance will work for those without substantial assets. It covers wider support that the government will provide for the social care system, and how the government will improve the integration of health and social care. It explains the government’s plan to introduce a new Health and Social Care Levy.

• Command paper
• Press release
• The King's Fund's response

The Department of Health and Social Care’s white paper Integration and Innovation: an evidence submission by the National Audit Office to the Health and Social Care Committee Inquiry – March 2021

National Audit Office - 

The House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee carried out an inquiry into the proposals set out in the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) white paper, Integration and innovation: working together to improve health and social care for all. This evidence submission highlights the main risks and opportunities the NAO sees in the white paper. Five areas are identified it believes the DHSC and the NHS must pay particular attention: achieving integration at the local level; financial sustainability; wider system reform; securing change in adult social care; and national-level governance.

• Briefing
• More detail

 

Reforming the Mental Health Act: government response to consultation

Department of Health and Social Care - 

The government hosted a public consultation from 13 January 2021 to 21 April 2021 on a set of proposals to reform the Mental Health Act. They received over 1,700 responses. This report is the government’s formal response to this consultation. Further details on the impact of costs and benefits can be found in an accompanying impact assessment.

• Government response
• More detail

The Health and Care Bill 2021-22 [Bill 140 of 2021-22]

House of Commons Library - 

The Health and Care Bill 2021-22 [Bill 140 of 2021-22] was introduced in the House of Commons on 6 July 2021. The second reading is scheduled for Wednesday 14 July 2021. This paper explains the bill's provisions and includes comment and reactions.

• Briefing
• More detail

The Health and Care Bill: a threat to the operational independence of the NHS?

The King's Fund - 

Nicholas Timmins outlines why greater ministerial powers over the day-to-day running of the NHS proposed in the Health and Care Bill might not work for the service or for ministers.

• Blog

The health and social care white paper explained

The King's Fund - 

This long read describes the main proposals of the Department of Health and Social Care's white paper 'Integration and innovation: working together to improve health and social care for all' published on 11 February 2021. It also sets out The King's Fund's initial assessment of the proposals and their implications for the health and care system.

• Read it now

Healthcare for the Armed Forces community: a forward view

NHS England - 
This guidance is a companion document to the NHS Long Term Plan, outlining the commitments NHS England and NHS Improvement is making to improve the health and wellbeing of the Armed Forces community, serving personnel (regulars and reservists), veterans and their families.

• Guidance

Looking ahead 2021: reset, partnerships, recovery

Wilmington Healthcare - 
This white paper explores some emerging trends within the UK health care system, some of which will establish some of the future policy that will come to fruition in 2021 and change the NHS landscape.

• Report

Resource allocation in public sector programmes: does the value of a life differ between governmental departments?

Office of Health Economics (OHE) - 
This report examines whether there are differences in the value of life estimates recommended for use across government departments in Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the Netherlands, and the UK. The departments of interest were those known to use some form of valuation of human life: health, social care, transport, and environment. For each country, a literature review was conducted to identify evidence from technical reports, guidelines, and tools published directly by government departments indicating methods for conducting impact assessments or appraisals.

• Report
• Summary