Lord Saatchi’s so-called “Medical Innovation Bill” which has the aim of removing patient right’s to sue doctors if they use unproven treatments in ways that no responsible body would endorse was blocked from proceding through parliament during the last session. It now looks like Saatchi intends to try to rush it through again as a reintroduced Private Member’s Bill. The…
The HealthWatch UK debate on the Medical Innovation Bill
HealthWatch UK is a charity that has been promoting evidence-based healthcare since 1991. It has no connection with the Healthwatch organisations set up under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. They held a debate on 4 March 2015 in conjunction with King’s College London: “This house supports the Medical Innovation Bill”. For: Professor Sir Mike Rawlins, patron of HealthWatch UK…
A welcome decision
The Stop the Saatchi Bill Alliance welcomes the decision not to move the Medical Innovation Bill at its second reading. While we firmly support innovation, we were joined by countless charities, experts, professional and patients’ organisations in our concerns that the Bill, which was set to apply to all patients, all doctors, all conditions and all treatments, was both unnecessary…
The end of the Medical Innovation Bill
In just seven seconds, the fate of the Medical Innovation Bill was sealed: It was not moved by any MP. If it had been, it would have taken just one MP to shout ‘Object’ and it would have had to come back to the House of Commons for another attempt at a second reading. Because it was not moved, the…
Rearranging the Deckchairs
How the Lords Couldn’t Fix the Saatchi Bill Despite claims that the Medical Innovation Bill has been fully amended and is now strengthened, it remains unfit for purpose. The vast majority of amendments offered by Lord Saatchi’s colleagues to try to remedy the many faults of the bill were discarded. Of the more than 2000 words of amendments independently proposed…
The Medical Innovation Bill – In a Nutshell
Re-blogged with permission from The Medical Innovation Bill – In a Nutshell by Nigel Poole QC The Medical Innovation Bill has passed to the House of Commons from the House of Lords. The purpose of the bill is to promote responsible medical innovation. The means by which innovation is promoted in the bill is by seeking to reduce or remove the…
Quackographic
The Saatchi Bill campaign has come up with an infographic showing how they claim the Bill would work in practice. Although I’ve already produced a flowchart to show where that infographic is wrong (spoiler alert: it’s wrong about everything), the estimable @lexistwit has gone one further, and created his own replacement for the infographic itself. Here’s how it should have…
Into the Commons
The Medical Innovation Bill was sent to the House of Commons following its Third Reading in the House of Lords on 23 January 2015. The Third Reading followed the usual format for these debates: more politeness and deference but not very much real scrutiny and analysis. There were just two amendments proposed: one by Lords Winston and Saatchi and one by Lord Hunt…
Bil Arloesi Meddygol? Wales votes No
Re-blogged with permission from Bil Arloesi Meddygol? Wales votes No by Sofia The Welsh Assembly votes unanimously against Saatchi Bill Vote in the Senedd clear: National Assembly for Wales united against Saatchi Bill a solution in search of a problem and not a very sound solution at that Previous post on LCM here. The National Assembly for Wales debated the Medical…
The GMC: There is still no convincing argument
Re-blogged with permission from The GMC: There is still no convincing argument by Sofia The GMC tweeted a link yesterday highlighting its current position on the Medical Innovation Bill. This was a link to this month’s accountability hearing where the GMC provided oral evidence to the Health Committee in the House of Commons. At this hearing questions were asked about the…
