Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill

I hope that I, too, can enter these discussions in the right spirit. I stress that we take these issues very seriously. I intend to consider carefully the amendments and the points raised by noble Lords and, I hope, to engage in further discussions before Report. This is an extremely important issue. Section 242 of the NHS Act, as it stands, is a wide-ranging duty and currently provides no sense of scale to enable NHS bodies to apply the duty meaningfully. Furthermore, without some kind of threshold, that duty has the potential to bring about that often-heard complaint of consultation fatigue. It is with a view to that challenge that the word ““significant”” has been introduced. By inserting a threshold, we are aiming to ensure that consultation under Section 242 for English bodies is fulfilled when there is a change that has a substantial impact on the range of services and the manner of their delivery. Without these thresholds, NHS bodies would have to consult patients and the public on even the most minor changes. However, I have heard very clearly the points made around the Chamber and, as I have said, we would like to consider further these amendments and remit further before Report.