CLAPA has submitted written evidence to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee scrutinising the Health Bill, setting out the changes we believe are needed to protect specialised NHS services such as cleft care.
The Health Bill includes significant reforms to the way parts of the NHS are organised and commissioned. While the Government has said the changes are intended to simplify the health system, CLAPA is keen to ensure they do not unintentionally weaken the national oversight, workforce planning and accountability that have helped transform cleft care over recent decades.
Drawing on our policy work, engagement with the cleft community and evidence from our recent campaigns, our submission highlights a number of areas where we believe Parliament should strengthen the Bill.
Our recommendations include:
- ensuring there is clear accountability for specialised services following the abolition of NHS England;
- protecting national workforce planning, specialist training and clinical leadership for services such as cleft;
- maintaining consistent national service standards regardless of future commissioning arrangements;
- strengthening patient involvement in the design and oversight of specialised services; and
- safeguarding national audit and quality improvement programmes, including the Cleft Registry and Audit NEtwork (CRANE).
The submission also draws on evidence gathered through CLAPA’s policy and campaigning work, including our End the Cleft Dental Care Crisis campaign, which highlighted the continuing barriers many people born with a cleft face in accessing NHS dental care.
It is essential that the legislation protects the national leadership, workforce planning and accountability that have underpinned improvements in cleft care over many years.
Lachlan Bruce, Policy and Campaigns Manager at CLAPA, said: “People born with a cleft rely on highly specialised NHS services throughout their lives. As Parliament considers significant changes to the way those services are organised, it is essential that the legislation protects the national leadership, workforce planning and accountability that have underpinned improvements in cleft care over many years.
We were pleased to have the opportunity to submit evidence to the Committee and hope our recommendations help ensure the reforms continue to support high-quality, equitable care for everyone affected by cleft.”
You can read CLAPA’s full written evidence to the Public Bill Committee below