House of Lords debate – Patient Safety Commissioner (2 December 2021)

Summary

This is a debate from the House of Lords on 2 December 2021 about when the process to appoint a Patient Safety Commissioner for England will commence and when the Commissioner is expected to be in post.

Content

Background

The UK Government committed to establishing a Patient Safety Commissioner for England in the Medicines and Medical Devices Act 2021.

The introduction of a Patient Safety Commissioner also acts on the second recommendation of the report of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review (also known as the Cumberlege Review), First Do No Harm, published in July 2020. This was one of a number of recommendations made by the Review after examining the response of the healthcare system in England to the harmful side effects of three medical interventions: hormone pregnancy tests, sodium valproate and pelvic mesh implants.

The Government held a public consultation on between 10 June and 5 August 2021 asking for comments on the proposed arrangements for the appointment and operation of this Commissioner.

House of Lords Debate

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen, a Government Whip in the House of Lords, stated in this debate that the Government:

• expected to appoint a Patient Safety Commissioner by Spring 2022.
• would shortly publish a response to its consultation.
• would shortly publish a job advert and job description for the role.

She also noted that it was likely the Patient Safety Commissioner would submit an annual report to Parliament once established, setting out activities undertaken during the year. During the debate the following key points were also made:

• Baroness Cumberlege expressed concern than the proposed term length for the role of three years was too short given its complexity, and suggested this should be extended to five years, as is the case with the Children’s Commissioner.
• Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick emphasised the importance of ensuring the independence of the new Patient Safety Commissioner.
• Lord Patel asked who would be responsible for implementing the recommendations of the Patient Safety Commissioner, and where accountability would lie for this.
• Baroness Wyld asked what the Department of Health would do to ensure that there is a genuinely broad and diverse field of candidates for this role, to ensure that patients' voices are really heard.

Related reading

• A year on from the Cumberlege Review: Initial reflections on the Government’s response (Patient Safety Learning, 23 July 2021)
• Patient Safety Commissioner for England: Consultation Response (Patient Safety Learning)
• The Patients Association's response to the consultation on the appointment and operation of the Patient Safety Commissioner for England