Lib Democrats warn NHS modernisation bill jeopardises patient safety

The NHS Modernisation Bill is currently at the report stage and is scheduled for its third reading on 7 September.

Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Helen Morgan described the legislation as a “catastrophic step backwards” and said it represented “the greatest backward step in patient safety in a generation”.

“Andrew Burnham must urgently halt this process and amend the Health Bill to ensure that modernisation does not compromise accountability, transparency or patient safety,” Morgan added.

In a January speech on NHS reform, former Health Secretary Wes Streeting remarked that “there are many decent people working at Healthwatch who care, but the job of listening to patients cannot be farmed out to an arm’s‑length body.”

“It must be core business for the NHS. That is why we are bringing it back in‑house, and I will not back down on that,” he said.

The Liberal Democrats further stated that the bill eliminates the NHS’s duty to cooperate with the Care Quality Commission in providing essential safety data and removes automatic “safe‑space” protections for whistleblowers.

Liberal Democrat amendments would scrap the contested provisions, and the party is “urging the new Burnham administration to adopt them.”

They have pledged to vigorously contest the measures in the House of Lords, where Labour lacks a majority.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the NHS Modernisation Bill “explicitly preserves safe‑space provisions and staff will continue to be protected.”

“The reforms we are introducing will give patients a stronger, clearer voice at the heart of health and social care,” the spokesperson added.

Andrew Burnham served as health secretary in 2009 when the Healthcare Commission’s report on the Stafford Hospital scandal was published; he subsequently launched an independent inquiry in 2010.

In May, the Local Government Association (LGA) told the BBC that disbanding Healthwatch would represent a “significant step back” for accountability.

“Without an independent, locally rooted voice to challenge and represent communities, there is a risk of duplication and gaps in accountability,” the LGA stated.

There are currently over 150 local Healthwatch organisations operating across England.

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