Department of Health - Current Public Consultations

Visit this page to find out about live Department of Health Public Consultations that you can take part in by clicking here to take you directly to the DH Live Public Consultations page.

HealthWatch England membership consultation:

The Department of Health has published a consultation on the membership of HealthWatch England and would like to have your comments by 2nd March 2012.

The consultation asks questions on several key issues;

• The number of members
• suitability for memberships
• process for appointing members
• the period of time a member should be appointed

If you would like to respond click here

White Paper consultations:

The NHS White Paper: 'Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS' was published in July 2010 and sets out the Government's long-term vision for the future of the NHS: GPs will be given much more responsibility for spending much of the budget, hospitals are to be made foundation trusts (Somerset's already are) and have their cap on private income lifted, and an independent NHS board will be established to free the health service from political interference. There is a strong emphasis on care and service change being patient-centred.

On the back of this White Paper, the following consultation documents have been published seeking the public's views:

• Transparency in outcomes - a framework for the NHS: (Closing date: 11 October 2010)
  Enabling new measures so that people can understand how well the NHS is doing overall, instead of focusing on targets. These new measures will be based on quality standards for effectiveness, patient experience and safety.
• Increasing democratic legitimacy in health: (Closing date: 11 October 2010)
  This covers the patient voice (and the future of LINks!). Local authorities will be given larger roles in supporting patient choice in health and social care, taking on local public health improvement functions, and promoting more effective commissioning. LINks will be turned into local HealthWatch bodies, providing information 'from the ground'.
• Commissioning for patients: (Closing date: 11 October 2010)
  Instead of Primary Care Trusts (such as NHS Somerset), commissioning is to be undertaken by local consortia of GP practices. They will be supported by an independent NHS Commissioning Board.
• Regulating healthcare providers: (Closing date: 11 October 2010)
  More info about how hospitals will become foundation trusts, and how Monitor will take on the role of independent economic regulator for health and adult social care.

For more information about any of these consultations, please view the Department of Health website here.

Other live consultations:

• Draft Acute Oncology: Measures for the Manual for Cancer Services (Closing date: 10 November 2010)
  A draft version of the acute oncology measures for inclusion in the Manual for Cancer Services is being issued for a three month consultation.
• Implementing 'Fulfilling and rewarding lives': consultation for statutory guidance for local authorities and NHS organisations to support implementation of the autism strategy (Closing date: 22 October 2010)
  This consultation seeks views on the draft guidance to health and social care services. The guidance has been drafted to support the implementation of the Autism Strategy Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives.
• Fitness to practise adjudication for health professionals: assessing different mechanisms for delivery (Closing date: 11 October 2010)
  The Government has been reviewing the progress of OHPA towards implementation, and reassessing the case for creation of a new body to regulate in this area as part of its wider spending review.
• Changes to the allocation formulae for the Learning Disability Commissioning Transfer Grant, Preserved Rights Grant and AIDS Support Grant (Closing date: 6 October 2010)
  The Department of Health (DH) is asking for your views on options for distributing three DH social care grants from 1st April 2011.

For more information about any of these consultations, please view the Department of Health website here