Health Bill [HL]

Amendment 44 can be dealt with briefly. Under Clause 7(7), "““the provider must keep affixed, in a conspicuous place at each of the premises at which the provider provides services … a notice stating how the most recent document published by the provider under that section may be obtained””." Members of the Committee should note that the wording specifies ““each of the premises””. Under subsection (8), we realise that the Government really mean business. Subsection (8) states: "““In subsection (7) ‘premises’ includes a vehicle or moveable structure””." As you are being carted off in an ambulance wondering whether you are about to meet your maker, you will be able to berate the ambulance staff for not displaying a notice about how to access the ambulance trust’s latest quality accounts. I am not necessarily critical of this approach, but it can be carried to unnecessary extremes. For example, it would be absurd and inappropriate for health visitors or members of mental health outreach teams to have to pin a notice up in the house of every patient they visit. It would be equally absurd for places where the public never go, but which nevertheless deliver services, to have to do that. In the latter category, I have in mind pathology laboratories or the control centres of NHS Direct. Perhaps the Minister will comment on this because the wording of the Bill seems to be a touch overly prescriptive. I beg to move.