Peers vote to improve workforce planning in the Health and Care Bill

Members of the House of Lords have defeated the Government by voting to improve transparency and accountability in NHS workforce planning, while also accepting measures that aim to embed research in the NHS and restrict junk food advertising.

The Health and Care Bill aims to improve health services in England by better joining up services, an emphasis on collaboration rather than competition, and a focus on improving health.  

Strengthening workforce planning 

Peers have successfully amended the Bill to ensure regular publication of current and future numbers of staff the health service needs. These figures will help inform long-term decisions about workforce planning in the NHS – something that has been missing for many years.  A clear message has been sent by Peers to the Government that it must urgently address the persistent staff shortages faced by the NHS - a key stumbling block as the NHS looks to clear the growing backlog of heart care. 

This amendment faces another hurdle when it returns to the Commons for further scrutiny, and we will continue to urge the Government not to overturn it. 

Embedding research in the NHS

Junk food marketing 

The Bill also contains vital policies which aim to limit the advertising of unhealthy food and drink on TV and online, as part of the Government’s landmark obesity strategy. Attempts to introduce an indefinite delay to their implementation were thankfully defeated by Peers. We have warned that delays to this vital evidence-based policy would be misguided, and that illness related to excess weight will continue to impact society unless decisive action is taken. 

We will continue to work with colleagues from the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) and others to ensure these measures are brought forward without major changes.  

A major opportunity

John Maingay, our director of policy and influencing said:   

“The Health and Care Bill is a major opportunity to set the right course for the nation’s health as we recover from the pandemic. The experience of the past couple of years has highlighted the value of cutting edge clinical research, and the need to embed it in the NHS.  At the same time Covid-19 underlined the need to put in place measures which can help build a healthy and resilient population, such as those in the bill which will protect children from junk food advertising.   

 “We also saw NHS staff pushed to the limit like never before, as the pandemic laid bare serious workforce shortages in the health service. That is why it is crucial that the widely supported workforce amendment to the bill is backed by the Government. We look forward to all these important measures being passed into law as the Bill progresses.”

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