Care trusts to be developed from NHS bodies after amendment to bill fails

The government appears to have given the clearest indication yet
that care trusts will be developed from existing NHS bodies.

An amendment to allow care trusts to be free-standing
organisations was rejected during committee stage of the health and
social care bill in the House of Lords.

The amendment had been tabled for the Local Government
Association to allow care trusts to be established as a new
organisation into which both the health service and local authority
could delegate their services.

An LGA spokesperson said the amendment was designed to ensure
that social services weren’t just added on to an existing health
body, and to make it easier for equal partnerships to be
formed.

“We are very disappointed. We are getting ever clearer signals
that these will be NHS bodies,” she said.

The bill is due to go to report stage in the Lords next
week.