James Murray

The hon. Gentleman raises questions relating to Healthwatch and to HSSIB being integrated into the Care Quality Commission. I will set out more detail in a few moments about those decisions, but fundamentally they derive from conclusions arrived at by Dr Penny Dash, whose review of the patient safety landscape found that it was too full of different organisations, and that their impact on the services provided to patients was unclear. We are seeking through this Bill to simplify that landscape, make sure that patients’ voices are heard closer to decision makers and improve the NHS for everyone across the country. For me, the way to build on the progress of the past two years is not just to maintain the improvement in performance that we have seen, but to accelerate our fundamental transformation and modernisation of the NHS. As Health Secretary, I am absolutely focused on delivery and putting the values that we in the Labour party all share into action. Crucially, I am determined to make sure that we benefit from the fullest possible use of technology, digitisation and artificial intelligence to renew the NHS for the future. The changes in technology, digitisation and AI are not an add-on to the NHS’s core business. With a determined focus on driving innovation at every level and the confidence to reimagine our approach to the nation’s health for the modern world, they offer us the chance to transform the way the entire NHS works. They will improve the speed of diagnosis, helping people to get the right treatment much more quickly than they do today.