Health Bill

Sojan Joseph Excerpts

2nd reading
Monday 1st June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sojan Joseph (Ashford) (Lab)]

We have already seen the difference that a Labour Government can make in improving our NHS. That is the result of the difficult choice that this Labour Government made to prioritise investment in the NHS and our other public services, but I know from my 22 years working in our health service that investment on its own is not enough. That is why I am pleased that this Bill will reverse the legislation passed during the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition, which made NHS overly rigid and too prescriptive, increasing bureaucracy and weakening accountability. The Bill is an important part of delivering a reformed NHS by implementing the elements of the plan that require legislation.

I particularly welcome the parts of the Bill that will amend the National Health Service Act to make provision for the establishment of a single patient record. Patients too often receive care that is not as co-ordinated as it could or should be, meaning that they must repeat their story each time they see a different medical professional. From my experience in mental health services, I know that mental health patients go to A&E, explain their story to the doctors there, explain the same story to a mental health worker, and then explain the same story the next day when they are admitted to a mental health ward. That is very challenging for professionals and patients. The single patient record can therefore be very useful.

We also have patients coming from other parts of the country. For example, a patient from Manchester could be admitted in Kent, where the doctors and medical professionals will, in some cases, be unable to access that patient’s records for many days. That delays the treatment, so it will be a big step to have a single patient record.

The other area I welcome is the abolishment of NHS England. During my time in the NHS, I saw layers and layers of management structures and scrutiny by different organisations, which caused lots of repetition, so I welcome the abolishment of NHS England. I would like to see that money go to the frontline, so that we can recruit many more nurses for hands-on patient care.

Finally, I would like to raise the issue that many other colleagues have raised: parity of esteem for mental health services. I would like to hear from the Minister that the single record system will be implemented not just in other parts of the health system, but in mental health services.