Parliamentary briefing: the Health Bill second reading
The King's Fund has produced this briefing ahead of the second reading of the Health Bill in the House of Commons.
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The briefing examines the measures outlined in the Bill to introduce a Constitution for the NHS; pilot direct payments for patients; require providers of NHS-funded care to produce annual quality accounts; and make further provisions on tobacco control.
Our analysis is based on a number of reports and responses to major government consultations that we have published recently:
- Governing the NHS: Alternatives to an independent board (Dixon and Alvarez-Rosete 2008) recommended the creation of an NHS Constitution.
- Should Primary Care Trusts be Made More Locally Accountable? (Thorlby et al 2008) discusses options for making PCTs more accountable to their local communities.
- Commissioning and Behaviour Change: Kicking Bad Habits final report (Boyce et al 2008) investigated what methods are effective in supporting people to choose healthier lifestyles, including quitting smoking.