The Health Bill received its second reading in the House of Lords on 13 October and was committed for detailed scrutiny. Committee stage is scheduled for 28 October. The Bill is not yet law.
The Bill proposes abolishing NHS England, creating a single patient record, and changing patient representation and safety-investigation arrangements. During the debate, Baroness Merron said ministers would bring forward an amendment establishing a statutory maternity and neonatal commissioner. She also said the transfer of safety-investigation functions to the Care Quality Commission would happen only when the CQC was ready.
Those are ministerial commitments and conditions. They are not evidence that the new arrangements are already in place. Karin Smyth and Labour health peers remain the Commons voices on how the safeguards are settled.
