The committee argued over the Government’s plan to fold NHS England into the Department of Health, with ministers saying it would make the Health Secretary clearly accountable and save up to about £1 billion a year, while MPs pressed for fuller costings and warned of greater political control. Members also disputed whether the Bill should do more on health inequalities, patient choice, innovation and workforce planning, with ministers saying existing duties were enough and critics saying the changes were too weak or too centralised.

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MPs examined clauses that would put NHS workforce planning under the Health Secretary and give ministers more power over local NHS decisions, including the use of private providers and the removal of integrated care board chief executives. Opposition MPs said the Bill could centralise too much power and weaken safeguards, while the Government argued the new powers are needed for accountability, flexibility and future reform.

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