Order, Order

We turn now to a vote on the Patient Safety Commissioner (Wales) Bill.

Patient Safety Commissioner (Wales) Bill 2023

An Act of the Senedd Cymru for the establishment and functions of a Patient Safety Commissioner for Wales

Having being passed by the Senedd Cymru and having received the assent of His Majesty, it is enacted as follows:

Section One: Interpretations

(1) For the purposes of this Act, “Commissioner” means the Patient Safety Commissioner for Wales,

(2) For the purposes of this Act, “healthcare services” means any services provided for the purpose of diagnosis, treatment or care of patients,

(3) For the purposes of this Act, “relevant Minister” means the Welsh Minister with responsibility for health,

(4) For the purposes of this Act, "relevant body" means any person or public authority who provides or commissions healthcare services in Wales,

(5) For the purposes of this Act, “patient safety” means the prevention and reduction of harm that occurs to patients during the provision of healthcare.

Section Two: Patient Safety Commissioner for Wales

(1) The office of Patient Safety Commissioner for Wales is established.

(2) The relevant Minister must appoint a person to be the Patient Safety Commissioner for Wales.

(3) An individual may not be appointed to the office of Commissioner if the individual:

(a) is disqualified under Section 3,

(b) has previously held or currently holds the office of the Commissioner.

(4) The Commissioner may be removed from office by the Minister if:

(a) the Minister has lost confidence in the Commissioner’s ability to exercise the Commissioner’s functions as outlined in Section 4,

(b) the Commissioner becomes disqualified from holding office under Section 3.

Section 3: Disqualification from appointment

(1) An individual is disqualified from holding the office of Commissioner if the individual:

(a) is a member of the Welsh Parliament,

(b) is a member of the House of Commons,

(c) is a member of the House of Lords,

(d) has previously been removed from public office for misconduct,

(e) has previously been convicted of an offence under any law relating to healthcare or patient safety,

(f) has pecuniary interest in any relevant body or healthcare provider.

Section 4: Functions of the Commissioner

(1) The Commissioner’s general functions are:

(a) to promote patient safety within healthcare services in Wales,

(b) to advise the relevant Minister on matters relating to patient safety,

(c) to make recommendations to the Minister or relevant bodies on matters relating to public safety,

(d) to promote the views of patients and the wider public in relation to patient safety,

(e) to monitor and report on the performance of relevant bodies in relation to patient safety,

(f) to investigate any matter relating to patient safety, and to report on the findings of any such investigation to the relevant Minister or relevant bodies.

(2) The Commissioner may require any relevant body to provide them with any information that may be relevant to the functions of the Commissioner’s under Section 4(1).

Section 5: Duty of relevant bodies

(1) A relevant body must:

(a) provide the Commissioner with any information the Commissioner requires for the purposes of carrying out his or her functions as outlined in Section 4(2),

(b) allow the Commissioner to inspect any premises or facilities used by the relevant body for the provision of healthcare services.

Section 6: Reporting of information

(1) The Commissioner must prepare and publish a report, as per their duties outlined in Section 4(1)(d), each financial year to:

(a) the relevant Minister,

(b) the Welsh Parliament.

(2) The report must include:

(a) a review of findings and issues the Commissioner has identified,

(b) a review of the activities of the Commissioner as relevant to the Commissioner’s duties in respect to that financial year,

Section 6: Short Title and Commencement

(1) This Act may be cited as the Patient Safety Commissioner (Wales) Act 2023.

(2) This Act shall come into force immediately upon receiving Royal Assent

This bill was written by the Rt. Hon. /u/BasedChurchill CBE PC on behalf of the Welsh Conservatives, and in part takes inspiration from the [Patient Safety Commissioner for Scotland Bill.](Patient Safety Commissioner for Scotland Bill (parliament.scot))

Llywydd,

It is extremely important for patients to be heard and for their opinions regarding patient safety made clear, but unfortunately this is not always the case. Transparency and accountability are some of the things that often go amiss in the provision of healthcare services, so I therefore believe it’s high time for a Patient Safety Commissioner office to be established in Wales– to provide an independent point of contact for patients and to support the government in putting patients first once again.

The Commissioner will have powers to investigate relevant bodies and report on any issues to the Health Minister, enabling the Senedd to identify areas where improvements can be made and hold healthcare providers accountable for their actions. Identifying these root issues are key to ensuring that patients can finally receive safe, effective, and high-quality care in Wales.

I call on all members to support this bill in the interests of our health service, and I commend it to the Senedd.

Link to the Debate

Voting on this bill will end at the close of business on 4th of June at 10pm BST