Queen's Speech — Programme for Government — National Health Service — 23 Oct 2019 at 18:50

The majority of MPs voted to continue to empower GPs to commission services, retain a strong Care Quality Commission, to retain Healthwatch England, and not to reverse a decision to seek to cut admin costs for example by abolishing Primary Care Trusts.

The debate on the content of the government's legislative programme outlined in the Queens' speech is technically, and traditionally, on the subject of a message of thanks which the house is to send the monarch for making the speech.

MPs were considering the motion:

• That an Humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, as follows:
• Most Gracious Sovereign,
• We, Your Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Majesty for the Gracious Speech which Your Majesty has addressed to both Houses of Parliament.

the amendment rejected in this vote was:

• at the end of the Question to add:
• “but respectfully regrets that the Gracious Speech does not repeal the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to restore a publicly provided and administered National Health Service and protect it from future trade agreements that would allow private companies competing for services who put profit before public health and that could restrict policy decisions taken in the public interest.”

The Health and Social Care Act^[1]:

• established an independent NHS Board to allocate resources and provide commissioning guidance
• increased GPs’ powers to commission services on behalf of their patients
• strengthened the role of the Care Quality Commission
• developed Monitor, the body that currently regulates NHS foundation trusts, into an economic regulator to oversee aspects of access and competition in the NHS
• cut the number of health bodies to help meet the Government's commitment to cut NHS administration costs by a third, including abolishing Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities.
• established Healthwatch England.
• [1] Parliament's webpage on the Health and Social Care Act 2012

Debate in Parliament |