The Parliamentary passage of the Health and Social Care Bill recommenced this week and the Labour Party has reiterated concerns about the ability of the NHS Commissioning Board to respond to local health needs. Speaking as sections of the Bill were re-examined in committee, Labour Shadow Health Minister, Liz Kendall MP, said “The Bill includes a proposal for a national board to commission primary care, pharmacy and
dentistry. I do not believe that a national body knows what GP practice is needed in New Parks in my constituency.” She went on to question whether it would be possible for the Board to performance manage the provision of primary care services from a distance, and whether it would have the appropriate expertise to do so.
Owen Smith, Labour MP for Pontypridd, returned to these points later in the debate, asking “Is it not less likely that a national body, such as the national commissioning board, will have the requisite oversight into local needs to be able to determine whether there ought to be a new public or private provider deployed in any given area?”
