Baroness Merron will open the House of Lords second-reading debate on the Health Bill on Tuesday, as peers examine legislation that would abolish NHS England.
The Labour peer and minister for women’s health and maternity will respond for the Government at the end of the debate. Second reading gives peers their first opportunity to examine the Bill’s central principles before detailed committee scrutiny.
The legislation would also abolish Healthwatch and transfer the Health Services Safety Investigations Body into the Care Quality Commission. Ministers say the changes are intended to simplify national health bodies and accountability.
The Bill would establish a single patient record, making information available across healthcare settings and directly to patients. The data provisions are likely to attract detailed scrutiny alongside the structural reorganisation.
Peers from across the House with experience in medicine, public health, disability policy and NHS management are due to speak. The debate begins at 3.15pm on 13 October.
