1st Report – Health Bill 2026–27
- HC No.
- HC 219
- Published
- 12 Jun 2026
- Items
- 9
- Response
- No response document linked
Select Committee · Health and Social Care Committee
Health Bill
Status: Open
Opened: 19 May 2026
3 recommendations
6 conclusions
1 report
Inquiry scope
The bill was introduced its Health Bill the House of Commons on 14 May 2026. The main purpose of the bill would be to abolish NHSE and transfer its functions to either ICBs or the Department of Health and Social Care, including transferring some powers directly to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. The Bill also contain provision on the creation of the Single Patient Record and ICB governance as well as implementing change to the patient safety and patient accountability landscape following the recommendations Dash Review. This page contain material relating to the Committee scrutiny of the BillReports
Recommendations & Conclusions
In our Palliative Care report, we urged the government to reconsider its decision to remove...
Conclusion · source text
In our Palliative Care report, we urged the government to reconsider its decision to remove local authority representation on ICBs. We remain convinced that removing their representation from ICBs is a damaging move that will undermine the government’s efforts to shift treatment into the community and deliver a more integrated health and care system. (Conclusion, Paragraph 7)
Department of Health and Social Care
We recommend that the statutory requirement for ICBs to have at least one member jointly...
Recommendation · source text
We recommend that the statutory requirement for ICBs to have at least one member jointly nominated by local authorities be retained. (Recommendation, Paragraph 8)
Department of Health and Social Care
We believe that this bill is a missed opportunity for the government to either reform...
Conclusion · source text
We believe that this bill is a missed opportunity for the government to either reform and promote the use of section 75 arrangements, or to provide an alternative mechanism that it believes is more effective in addressing the challenges funding flows present to the integration of health and care service across NHS and local authority services. (Conclusion, Paragraph 13)
Department of Health and Social Care
We recommend that the Health Bill be amended to require the Secretary of State to...
Recommendation · source text
We recommend that the Health Bill be amended to require the Secretary of State to review the effective use of Section 75 of the NHS Act 2006, and to produce guidance to support NHS bodies and local authorities making use of section 75 arrangements to pool budgets and jointly commission health and social care services. (Recommendation, Paragraph 14)
Department of Health and Social Care
We continue to believe that achieving parity of esteem between physical and mental health requires...
Conclusion · source text
We continue to believe that achieving parity of esteem between physical and mental health requires sustained investment in mental health services and recommend that meeting, rather than just reporting on, the Mental Health Investment Standard should be a statutory requirement on ICBs. (Recommendation, Paragraph 18)
Department of Health and Social Care
We welcome the duty that the bill places on the Secretary of State to involve...
Conclusion · source text
We welcome the duty that the bill places on the Secretary of State to involve the public in the planning of commissioning arrangements. However, it is unclear to us from the language in the bill whether this would go as far as requiring service users to be involved in the co-production of the service design and delivery. We believe that this should be explicitly specified on the face of the bill. (Conclusion, Paragraph 21) 22
Department of Health and Social Care
As the Health Bill makes provision about the duties of integrated care boards (ICBs), it...
Conclusion · source text
As the Health Bill makes provision about the duties of integrated care boards (ICBs), it provides an ideal vehicle to provide a level playing field between education bodies and ICBs, so that ICBs are also under a legal obligation to comply with recommendations from SEND Tribunals. (Conclusion, Paragraph 25)
Department of Health and Social Care
Health inequalities represent a serious and continuing injustice across the country.
Conclusion · source text
Health inequalities represent a serious and continuing injustice across the country. The almost 20-year gap in healthy life expectancy between different parts of the country is morally unacceptable. While the government has set out the right vision for a cross government mission to tackle health inequalities we do not think that approach is being delivered in practice. (Conclusion, Paragraph 32)
Department of Health and Social Care
We recommend that the Secretary of State’s duties in relation to health inequalities in clause...
Recommendation · source text
We recommend that the Secretary of State’s duties in relation to health inequalities in clause 4 of the bill be strengthened and that all ministers should be under a duty to consider how policies they enact might contribute to or reduce health inequalities. (Recommendation, Paragraph 33) 23
Department of Health and Social Care
Oral evidence sessions
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| Date | Session and witnesses | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Jun 2026 |
Oral Evidence
Councillor Dr Wendy Taylor · Local Government Association,
Dr Hugh Alderwick · The Health Foundation,
Dr Victoria Tzortziou · Royal College of GPs,
Sarah Woolnough · The Kings Fund,
Thea Stein · Nuffield Trust
|
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Written evidence
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| Reference | Date | Submitter |
|---|---|---|
| HTB0001 | 19 May 2026 | Care Quality Commission (CQC) |
Who gave evidence
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| Witness | Organisation | Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Councillor Dr Wendy Taylor · Chair, Health and Wellbeing Committee | Local Government Association | 1 |
| Dr Hugh Alderwick · Director of Policy and Research | The Health Foundation | 1 |
| Dr Victoria Tzortziou · Chair | Royal College of GPs | 1 |
| Sarah Woolnough · Chief Executive | The Kings Fund | 1 |
| Thea Stein · Chief Executive | Nuffield Trust | 1 |
Correspondence
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| Published | Direction | Letter |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Sep 2026 | — | Correspondence from Minister Smyth- Health Bill Amendment |