Topic: Health scrutiny
This section contains material covering English councils’ duties on the scrutiny of local health and care services. English councils have held this duty since 2003, but recently key aspects of the statutory framework have changed. This material sets out those changes, and also contains wider commentary on the way in which scrutiny functions can engage with policymaking on wider health and care needs, such as tackling health inequalities.
Health scrutiny and the NHS’s current pressures
[UPDATE: new arrangements for scrutiny of substantial variations in local health services came into force in January 2024. You can find more details here]. Over the past few months we have been working to better understand how the arrangements for scrutiny of health and care services will be changed by the 2022 Act. In particular, […]
Health and Care Act: discussion paper
A discussion paper on Regulations and Statutory Guidance relating to health scrutiny, further to the Health and Care Act 2022.
Health and Care Act 2022
A briefing paper on local accountability of NHS bodies, in relation to local authorities’ overview and scrutiny arrangements.
Briefing for Parliamentarians on the Health and Care Bill
Briefing on the removal of the power of referral to the Secretary of State, in response to the Public Bill Committee for the Health and Care Bill.
Possible legislative provisions on scrutiny in the health Bill
CfGS has produced a draft of possible provisions, either for the Health and Care Bill or subsequent Regulations, to support the continued operation of health scrutiny. These provisions aim to simplify existing Regulations by providing a strong and independent role for scrutiny which sits within the policy objectives set out in the White Paper. These […]
Response to consultation: NHS System Oversight Framework, 2021/22
CfGS has responded to the NHS’s consultation on its System Oversight Framework for 2021/22. This work links closely with our ongoing work on the wider accountability framework in the health and care system, and on the Health and Care Bill. May 2021
Reflections on the publication of the Ockenden report
The final report of the review carried out by Donna Ockenden into maternity care at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital (SaTH) has just been published. It can be found here – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ockenden-review-of-maternity-services-at-shrewsbury-and-telford-hospital-nhs-trust. The report makes for grim reading. There are implications here for maternity services across England – and for health and care services more […]
Improving the scrutiny of integrated care systems and sustainability and transformation partnerships
This practical guide has been produced in partnership with the NHS Confederation. It is based on discussions with around 70 local government health and care scrutiny chairs, members and officers at the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny Health Conference in London on 18 July 2019. The guidance is designed for scrutiny leads and communications and […]
Royal College of Nursing
An independent governance review, with focus on decision-making, strategy, culture, structures and processes.
Delivering effective governance and accountability for integrated health and care
A new explainer for the NHS and local authorities outlines possible solutions for the governance and accountability challenges brought by the move to integrated health and care. NHS organisations and local authorities are already working closely together to join up approaches to delivery and this will become even more important as the journey towards more […]