The Health and Social Care Committee has published proposed amendments to the Health Bill, warning that SEND, mental health and prevention have been overlooked in the Government's NHS reform plans.
The cross-party committee wants Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to be legally required to comply with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) tribunal recommendations, addressing what it called a systemic lack of accountability for children and young people's services.
It also called for the retention of mandatory local authority representation on ICBs, criticising plans to let regional mayors nominate members instead. Mayors do not have formal connections with public health and adult social care, the report noted.
The committee further recommended reviewing use of Section 75 pooled budgets to reduce siloed working and said dropping the Mental Health Investment Standard represented ‘an abandonment’ of efforts to achieve parity between mental and physical health funding.
Committee chair Layla Moran MP said the Bill offered a chance to tackle chronic problems ‘from SEND and mental health services to better prevention of obesity and frailty’.
She added: 'This report sets out a number of amendments to the Health Bill that we believe MPs from across the House will get behind, and will catalyse much needed debate on what the Government is going to do with the NHS.’
The amendments will be considered by a Public Bill Committee from 16 June, concluding by 16 July.
.png)
