House of Commons Debate – Health Bill (1 June 2026)

Summary

This article provides a brief overview of patient safety issues raised in a debate in the House of Commons on Monday 1 June 2026 during the second reading of the Health Bill 2026-27.

Content

The Health Bill 2026-27, also known as the NHS Modernisation Bill, is a piece of legislation introduced by the UK Government. It is intended to bring forward two significant changes: joining up health information and the abolition of NHS England.

Below is a summary of some of the key patient safety issues raised in the second reading of the Health Bill in the House of Commons. The second reading is the stage of the UK legislative process where Members of Parliament (MPs) debate the general principles and main purpose of a proposed piece of legislation.

Single patient record

The Health Bill establishes the purpose of the single patient record—to bring together patient information from existing separate sources and make it available to patients and their relevant health and care providers such as GPs, hospital doctors, social care providers or others involved in their direct care. MPs expressed broad support for the concept of a single patient record, although some did raise concerns about safeguards and privacy around this proposal, emphasising:

• The need for extra care concerning data that relates to children.
• The importance of having new privacy protections alongside this.
• The need for robust measures around any secondary uses of data.

Healthwatch England

Multiple MPs raised concerns about the Bill's proposals to abolish Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch. The legislation proposes the introduction of a new patient experience directorate within the Department of Health and Social Care that will bring patient voice ‘in house’ and take over the statutory functions of Healthwatch England. Issues highlighted in the debate included:

• That this may result in a loss of independent scrutiny in the health system.
• MPs commenting positively on the contributions made by their Local Healthwatch organisations.
• Questions about whether a new patient experience directorate will genuinely be able to hold the health system to account.
• Comments that without Healthwatch the remaining checks and balances in the health system will come only from the medical professional. and existing healthcare stakeholders, while patients would be left without a clear advocate.
• The importance of retaining Healthwatch’s reporting and insights function in some form.

Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB)

The Health Bill includes provisions to abolish HSSIB, proposing its functions are transferred into the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Points raised by MPs in relation to this included:

• Like the abolition of Healthwatch, this change may result in a loss of independent scrutiny in the health system.
• There is a conflict between CQC carrying out its functions as a regulator and compliance enforcer against HSSIB’s functions as an investigator.
• The importance of retaining both the independence, and appearance of independence,, of the patent safety investigation function of HSSIB.

Related reading

• The King’s Speech 2026: Six key takeaways for patient safety
• Perspectives on the NHS Modernisation Bill