• The Department of Health and Social Care have announced that the Health and Care Bill will be introduced in Parliament today.
• The Bill builds on proposals for legislative change set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, while also incorporating lessons learnt from the pandemic.
• The Bill will set out the biggest reforms to the NHS in a decade.

Responding to the publication of the Health and Care Bill, the chief executive of NHS Providers, Chris Hopson said:

"We welcome the publication of this Bill today which will help provide clarity for trusts in a fast changing health and care landscape.

"Trusts have been at the forefront of the move towards closer collaboration and integration between health and care, a process that has accelerated in recent months to deal with the extraordinary pressures of the pandemic.

"The forthcoming legislation will formalise this process, so trusts and their partners can plan and cooperate more closely to help build healthier communities.

"We therefore think there is a lot to build on in the government's proposals, which herald the biggest reforms to the NHS in more than a decade.

However we have been clear about key areas of concern for our members, which will need to be resolved as the Bill goes through parliament.

"However we have been clear about key areas of concern for our members, which will need to be resolved as the Bill goes through parliament.

"It is very important to preserve the operational and clinical independence of the NHS so any new powers of direction for ministers do not impinge on issues such as procurement, treatment, drug funding and the hiring and firing of frontline NHS leaders.

"It's also important to ensure ministers have appropriate powers in decisions over how local services are configured and that changes which improve quality and safety are not inappropriately blocked.

"There is no suggestion here that a publicly funded service like the NHS should not be held to account. Rather, that the strategic direction is the domain of politicians, who should then allow NHS leaders in operational and clinical roles – with day to day responsibility for supporting patient care – the space to deliver those strategic objectives without undue political pressure or interference.

The new integrated care systems should develop to meet local needs, rather than being pushed into a one-size-fits-all approach.

"The new integrated care systems should develop to meet local needs, rather than being pushed into a one-size-fits-all approach.

"We are continuing to argue for a careful balance in how new potential controls on capital spending may be applied to foundation trusts in local systems.

"And it's vital that the legislation addresses the lack of a transparent, costed and funded long term workforce plan.

"We urge the government to continue to listen to the NHS frontline in shaping its proposals."