Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill

moved Amendment No. 238LA: 238LA: Clause 222, page 155, line 4, after ““consult”” insert ““members of Patients’ Forums and”” The noble Baroness said: I shall speak also to the other amendments in this group. The most distressing thing in all the discussions about the establishment of LINks has been that patients’ forums have not been consulted or involved in the change. They were not part of the original group that Harry Cayton set up and they have been sidelined. Even the doctor-patient partnerships, which are moving towards LINks, have not been listened to adequately over their concern that the pace of the change is too rapid. In private meetings, the Minister has assured me that the Government are very grateful for all that patients’ forum members have done. I suggest that it would be a concrete sign of that recognition if those members, or at least some of them, were consulted when the regulations for the new LINks system are drawn up. In Amendment No, 238LB, we suggest changing the wording to ““such other persons”” to be consulted about the regulations, because ““such other”” can include those who know how all this might work. It might, for example, include present patients’ forums, as well as special interest groups, the national association for patients’ forums and the local involvement network hosts. If that wide group is not consulted, huge doubt must remain as to whether full account has been taken of the implications of LINks and what they are to be asked to do. Our general concern about the lack of clarity of purpose, rather than about the process, has not yet been put to rest, and that is why we have put forward these amendments. I beg to move.