Department of Health Skip to content

Please note that this website has a UK government access keys system.

Health and Social Care Bill 2011

The Health and Social Care Bill was introduced into Parliament on 19 January 2011. The Bill is a crucial part of the Government’s vision to modernise the NHS so that it is built around patients, led by health professionals and focused on delivering world-class healthcare outcomes.

The Bill takes forward the areas of Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS (July 2010) and the subsequent Government response Liberating the NHS: legislative framework and next steps (December 2010), which require primary legislation. It also includes provision to strengthen public health services and reform the Department’s arm’s length bodies.

View the Bill and track its passage through Parliament

The Parliament website hosts the Bill and the accompanying explanatory notes, which you can view by following the link below. It also shows where the Bill is in its passage through Parliament and provides access to Parliamentary debates via the link to Hansard.

Health and Social Care Bill 2011 – what does it do?

The Bill contains provisions covering five themes:

  • strengthening commissioning of NHS services
  • increasing democratic accountability and public voice
  • liberating provision of NHS services
  • strengthening public health services
  • reforming health and care arm’s-length bodies.

Health and Social Care Bill factsheets

A series of factsheets on the Health and Social Care Bill explain particular topics contained in the Bill, including its key themes.

Department of Health response to the legal opinion of Stephen Cragg, on behalf of 38 degrees

Stephen Cragg's legal opinion on the 'duty to provide' in the Health and Social Care Bill 2011 ("the Bill") was published by 38 Degrees in August 2011. The Department of Health does not agree with some important aspects the legal analysis of the effect of the provisions of the Bill, nor the description of what the advice means that is given on the 38 Degrees website.

Further information for legal professionals on clause 1 of the Health and Social Care Bill

Published: 15 August 2011

Following the Re-committal of the Health and Social Care Bill, the Department of Health is aware of a number of stakeholder questions on the future role and functions of the Secretary of State for Health.

This note explains the changes to clause 1 of the National Health Service Act 2006 ("the 2006 Act"), proposed by the Bill and sets out a response to the 18 questions posed by the evidence submitted by Peter Roderick, a public interest lawyer, in a memorandum to the Public Bill Committee in July 2011. This is a technical document written predominantly for a legal audience. The introduction sets out the legal changes and policy intention behind the changes.

Top ten frequently asked questions from evidence submitted to the Public Bill Committee on the Health and Social Care Bill (recommitted) in the House of Commons

Here you can view the top ten questions about the Bill identified from evidence submitted to the recommitted Bill Committee in the House of Commons, which met from 28th June to 14th July 2011. This top ten will be updated as the Bill progresses through Parliament to reflect the latest big questions and answers.

For more questions and answers on the Modernisation of Health and Care, or to submit a question which you would like the Department to answer, you can also visit the dedicated Modernisation pages.

Government response to the NHS Future Forum report: briefing notes on amendments to the Bill

Published: 27 June 2011

Following the Government's listening exercise on the Health and Social Care Bill, the NHS Future Forum published their recommendations on the future for NHS modernisation. The Government published its response on 20 June, setting out the changes it intends to make in response to the recommendations.

The Government has produced briefing notes to accompany the amendments that were made in Commons Committee and the amendments that have been handed in for Commons Report. A fuller description of the context for the amendments and of the other changes to the modernisation plans is provided by the response.

Other publications

Impact assessments

To read more about the impact of the Bill for equality groups, or to understand the estimated costs and savings related to the changes that the Bill would implement, click the link below. The impact assessment was revised to reflect changes made to the Bill during its passage through the House of Commons and was re-published on 8th September 2011. You can access all versions at the link below.

Delegated Powers Memorandum

The Delegated Powers Memorandum describes where the Bill has taken powers to make secondary legislation, which procedure would be used, and why. It will be updated during the Bill's passage and will be subject to review by the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee in the House of Lords.

Access keys