Panel to rate health and care policies

AN INDEPENDENT panel of experts has been set up by MPs to give performance ratings for the Government’s handling of key health and social care policies.

The panel’s first piece of work will look at maternity services in England, an area which has seen a series of scandals in recent years.

The process is being established by the Commons Health and Social Care Committee and will involve policy specialists, patients and clinical experts.

It will produce Care Quality Commission- style ratings for the Government’s performance in meeting policy pledges, grading them from “inadequate” to “outstanding”.

The panel will be chaired by Dame Jane Dacre, professor of medical education at University College London.

Two other core members of the panel will be appointed, one with experience of representing patient concerns and another who is a policy expert.

Up to six extra members will be appointed for each inquiry, including service users, clinicians, policy experts and campaigners.

Further investigations could examine promises made in cancer treatment, mental health and patient safety.

Health and Social Care Committee chairman Jeremy Hunt – a former Health Secretary – said: “We are piloting a new CQC- style ratings system to provide an expert independent assessment of the Government’s record on key pledges.

“This will mean the Government is held to account by an evaluation process similar to that used across the NHS and social care system which gives not just an absolute score but key pointers as to how to improve that score next time round. We hope it will focus attention on areas such as cancer, mental health and patient safety where a number of vital commitments have been made.”

Dame Jane said: “Government pledges are often made and are – in my view and the view of others – not always followed up. So to provide some kind of follow- up of that – how things are doing, what could be improved – is likely to improve the achievement of some of the pledges that are made.”

The inquiry into maternity services follows scandals such as the avoidable deaths of 11 babies and one mother at Cumbria’s Furness General Hospital between 2004 and 2013 and allegations of poor care at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust.

In a sign the panel could be a thorn in the side of Government, one of the requirements is that members are “able to speak truth to power, and to respond effectively to challenge”.