Health and Care Bill — Second Reading — 14 Jul 2021 at 18:51

The majority of MPs voted for NHS reforms and reorganisations intended to ensure integration and coordination both within the NHS and between the NHS and local councils as well as to make virginity checking and hymen reconstruction an offence.

MPs were considering the Bill^[1][2][3]

The motion supported by a majority of MPs in this vote was:

• That the Bill be now read a Second time.

Support for this motion enabled the Bill to continue on its path to becoming law.

The Bill focused on integration and coordination, both within the NHS, and between the NHS and local councils. The Bill contained provisions:

• * To reorganise and rename parts of the NHS
• * To rename NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups Integrated Care Boards and create integrated Care Partnerships, the latter involving the boards and local councils.
• * To enable Integrated Care Boards and NHS England to be directed to spend money on integrating NHS care with local authority functions.
• * To give NHS trusts a duty to "have regard to all likely effects of" decisions in relation to "the health and well-being of the people of England", service quality and use of resources.
• * To require NHS trusts to contribute to the UK net zero emissions target and environmental targets.
• * To make the examination of female genitalia, with or without consent, for the purpose (or purported purpose) of determining virginity, an offence, and to make the reconstruction of the hymen (with or without consent) an offence.

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• [1] Parliament's webpage on the Health and Care Bill, Parliament.uk
• [2] Health and Care Bill as introduced on 6 July 2021, Parliament.uk
• [3] Explanatory notes to the Health and Care Bill as introduced on 6 July 2021, Parliament.uk

Debate in Parliament |