The Health and Social Care Act 2001 (c 15) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It represented the Labour Party's turn towards private health sector after decades of anti-privatisation rhetoric.[1]
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| Long title | an Act to amend the law about the national health service; to provide for the exercise of functions by Care Trusts under partnership arrangements under the Health Act 1999 and to make further provision in relation to such arrangements; to make further provision in relation to social care services; to make provision in relation to the supply or other processing of patient information; to extend the categories of appropriate practitioners in relation to prescription-only medicinal products; and for connected purposes. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 15 |
| Introduced by | Alan Milburn Secretary of State for Health |
| Territorial extent | partially to Scotland and partially Northern Ireland, fully to England and Wales. |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 27 May 2001 |
Status: Amended | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
Background
editDuring 1997–2001, Labour had begun to "modernise" the National Health Service, by increasing investment and bringing the spending on health into line with peer European countries and had begun to reduce certain "marketisation" aspects.[1]
Increasingly, many patients had begun to use private providers for healthcare, and for the 2001 general election, Labour decided that to prevent a 'sleepwaking to a US-style health-care system', patients would be able to access private health care through the NHS.[1]
In August 2000, the Labour government announced the NHS Plan 2000, then known as the "NHS Plan", which was described as the "biggest shake up of the NHS since it was established in 1948".[2] The plan was described in an opinion piece for the British Medical Journal as "As good as it gets—make the most of it"[3]
In November 2000, Alan Milburn signed a concordat with the private sector, a reversal of the dismantling of the marketisation policies under Frank Dobson.[4]
Details
editIn 2003, provisions of the law abolished community health councils in England, which was controversial among Labour MPs, on the basis that they would be replaced by 'local patient advocacy groups'.[5] These local groups were formed in April 2008.[6] and patient and public involvement forums[7] The guidance for these organisations was delivered to councils in 2003.[8]
The act provided for primary care trusts (PCTs) and NHS trusts to be designated as care trusts in cases where they had local authority health-related functions delegated to them by agreement.[9] These primary care trusts took over the functions of health authoriiesy, which were abolished under the National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002.[10][11] Social care in England was reorganised to be structured into these trusts which would pool their services - this was the first time that health and social care were integrated at the local level since the National Insurance Act 1970.[12][13][14]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Whitaker, Phil (5 March 2015). "How Labour broke the NHS – and why Labour must fix it". New Statesman. Progressive Media Investments. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ "NHS Plan: at a glance". BBC News. BBC. 2 August 2000. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
The government's plans to radically reform the health service in England represent the biggest shake up of the NHS since it was established in 1948.
- ^ Dixon, Jennifer; Dewar, Steve (1 September 2024). "The NHS plan". The BMJ. BMJ Publishing Group. Archived from the original on 31 August 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ "The NHS and the private sector". BBC News. BBC. 17 May 2001. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
In November 2000, Health Secretary Alan Milburn signed a concordat with the private sector.
- ^ Butler, Patrick (11 January 2001). "Milburn stands by CHC abolition". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
He has also promised to set up local independent patient advocacy groups - possibly run by local authorities - to help patients make formal complaints against health bodies.
- ^ "The Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) : Department of Health - Managing your organisation". Archived from the original on 5 November 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
- ^ Health, Department of. "Patient and public involvement forums". Webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 7 April 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- ^ Goldhill, Flora (17 July 2003). "Health and Social Care Act 2001: Directions to Local Authorities (Overview and Scrutiny Committees, Health Scrutiny Functions)" (PDF). Harrow London Borough Council. Department of Health. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ "Health and Social Care Act 2001". Policy Navigator. The Health Foundation. 11 May 2001. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
The Act provided for primary care trusts (PCTs) and NHS trusts to be designated as care trusts in cases where they had local authority health-related functions delegated to them by agreement.
- ^ "National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002". The Health Foundation. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "Strategic Health Authorities replace existing health authorities". The Health Foundation. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ "Timeline of integrated care policies in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland". The King's Fund. The King's Fund. 19 August 2022. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
Care Trusts established, partnerships that pool health and social care resources in one organisation to commission and/or provide a range of services such as social care, mental health, or community care.
- ^ "Local Authority Social Services Act 1970", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 29 May 1970, 1970 c. 42, retrieved 31 August 2024
- ^ Jones, Ray (2 September 2020). "How social work's '50th birthday' illustrates importance of practitioners shaping the profession". Community Care. MA Education. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
The first such moment was the 1970 Local Authority Social Services Act which, following the recommendations in the 1968 Seebohm Report, brought children's, welfare and mental health departments together into one social services department within each local authority in England and Wales. Segregated and separate workers in each of the former services were now badged as social workers rather than child care officers, welfare officers, and mental welfare officers.