The Friday Guest Blog with Melissa Barnett
Well, where to begin? When I spoke to Richard about this blog we discussed focusing on what happened in the run up to summer, which had plenty of points to cover - from the growing impact of COVID-19, the NHS restart, trade deals and Cumberlege, however it turns out that is just the beginning. Therefore with this blog I want to look ahead, and see what opportunities and challenges we can expect in the autumn.
From a HealthTech public affairs perspective the autumn is shaping up to be one of the busiest we have ever seen, combining the impact of a global pandemic, the planned restart of NHS elective care with the target of resuming 90% capacity by October, and the threat of a no deal Brexit.
That’s before we move onto some of the details, and what’s actually happening in Parliament and the NHS. There is the Medicines and Medical Devices Bill, something which has the potential to have the biggest impact on the HealthTech industry since the Health and Social Care Act in 2012, if you count secondary legislation, the looming NHS Bill, which seems to be ever expanding in scope, and the Comprehensive Spending Review.
Any one of these activities would normally take front seat in our agenda for planning and lobbying. However, with the landscape moving quicker than ever, and with significant decisions being made ever more quickly, all of us in this space need to work together and make sure that decision makers have all the information they need to avoid any unintended consequences.
So, the Medicines and Medical Devices Bill. As you will have seen from Richard’s previous commentary on the Bill this initial piece of legislation is positioned by the Government as primarily being an enabling Bill for future legislation. The second reading in the Lords is currently scheduled for 2nd September, and rumours abound about tweaks and changes the Lords are planning. Some are saying that it gives the Government far too much power, and in theory there is a lot that the Government could do solely with ‘consultation’, without having to implement any of the feedback. We may well see more drama in the Lords than we have so far in the Commons… From my perspective it’s still the secondary legislation that is the most important piece to watch, and I think we can expect some pretty significant updates shortly after the Bill around this, with a particular focus on the Register/Registry point that has been alluded to by Government and reiterated in the Cumberlege Review.
The NHS Bill, initially discussed at the start of the year, has also been referred to as the NHS Long Term Plan Bill. This Bill seems to be growing in scope and ambition, with references to changes being more significant in reversing the 2012 Health and Social Care Act. It seems this crisis has highlighted more than ever to the Government that whilst they remains at arm’s length from NHS England, and have passed over some control, it doesn’t mean that they are immune from criticism when things go wrong in the NHS. I won’t delve into this in too much detail as my colleague Dan will be examining this next week, however it is safe to say that the Government has realised the flaws in the current system from their perspective, and we may well see a power grab back to the Government.
And the Comprehensive Spending Review. Well, given Rishi Sunak created and delivered his last budget just four weeks into the job at the start of the COVID-19 crisis, essentially tore it up over the coming weeks to deal with the unprecedented economic crisis and now is dealing with a recession and a need to kick-start the economy, we all wait with bated breath for what the CSR may bring this autumn. Mr Sunak stated “The Comprehensive Spending Review is our opportunity to deliver on the third phase of our recovery plan – where we will honour the commitments made in the March Budget to rebuild, level up and invest in people and places spreading opportunities more evenly across the nation.” Rumours focus on specific areas of investment, however Rishi needs to make some money somewhere…
Despite having an 80-seat majority, a number of Conservative MPs have already made trouble for the whips on issues like China, free school meals and trade standards. There is therefore always the potential that, alienated by the Prime Minister’s distance to date, the Government could face rebellions, and they will need to balance the wish list of the ‘Red Wall Tories’, with their core supporters’ interests, whilst looking ahead to begin to reduce the deficit and provide adequate support to industries and individuals affected by COVID-19.
Alongside this in the UK, as we move into the autumn, I think we will continue to observe that we are moving closer to a US presidential style system. With No.10 and the treasury moving closer than ever together, special advisers being held in an iron grip by Cummings, numerous controversial political appointments to the civil service with senior figures being forced out and the new US style press briefings, it feels like change is coming.
What a change from December 2019 when we saw the 80-seat majority and thought that lobbying would move back to being more straight forward and linear…next week my colleague Dan Jones will take you through where the Government is heading in taking back more central control, and I hope that everyone enjoys this Mediterranean heatwave in the meantime!
Melissa Barnett is Head of Public Affairs at PB Consulting: a specialist public affairs and consultancy service.