Big Changes Ahead – The Health Bill & the new NHS

The Government have now introduced the Health and Social Care Bill into Parliament.

The Bill proposes a huge shift in the way that services are designed and delivered, putting decision making power in the hands of doctors and putting patients at the heart of the NHS.

We have been looking at these reforms and what they might mean for breast cancer services and patients since the publication of the Government’s White Paper in July 2010. We worked closely with our CAN members to draft our consultation response to the White Paper.

We highlighted the issue at the Westminster Fly-In in October 2010. The Co-Chairs of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Breast Cancer, Steve Brine MP, Sharon Hodgson MP and Annette Brooke Mp felt it was important to highlight the patient’s voice in NHS reform. We worked with them to create a briefing for MPs, which included case studies of CAN members and their views on NHS reform.

Download the briefing, ‘No decision about me, without me’ (735 kb) .

We are now working with a group of national charities to draw attention to the areas of the Bill that we feel need strengthening. We will be working with MPs and Peers from across the House to raise the issues that are most important to people affected by breast cancer as the Bill passes through the House of Commons and Lords.