At least 10 of the 150 amendments the government plans to make to the Health and Social Care Bill concern enhancing patient and public involvement, according to the Department of Health’s full response to Future Forum’s recommendations.

Changes to the bill will include a new duty on Monitor “to carry out appropriate public and patient involvement” and a requirement for the NHS Commissioning Board to appoint a national director for patient and public engagement.

Clinical commissioning groups will have to consult the public on their annual commissioning plans as well as “any changes” that affect patient services and will be assessed on how effectively they have discharged their duty to involve patients and the public by the NHS Commissioning Board as part of the authorisation process and their annual assessments.

Amendments will be tabled to require the Care Quality Commission to respond to advice from HealthWatch England, a sub-committee of the regulator. Health and wellbeing boards (HWBBs) will be given a new duty to involve users and the public while the health secretary will have to consult HealthWatch England on the mandate to the NCB.

The 66-page response also reveals the bill will be amended to “clarify the frequency” of the health secretary’s mandate to the NCB in response to concerns the legislation in its current form could “lead ministers to take an overly prescriptive approach. The mandate will be set over “a three year period, with the ability to make necessary changes to it on an annual basis”.

The mandate will be used to “encourage lead and joint commissioning” with HWBBs envisaged as a “vehicle for lead commissioning”. New statutory guidance on joint health and wellbeing strategies will be developed including a requirement for CCGs commissioning plans to be in line with the strategy.

Provisions for a quality premium, where CCGs receive payment for performance, will be revised and the bill changed to allow for regulations on how CCGs can use any payment awarded to them.

However, the duty of candour will be introduced via a “new contractual requirement on providers” and will not require amendments to the bill. The response promises more detail on how this will work “shortly”.

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