§ 12. Mr. Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland)If he will make a statement on the regulation of health care assistants. [116535]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Mr. David Lammy)The Government are committed to consult on proposals to regulate support workers, and that consultation will be taking place in the near future. The consultation will identify those categories of staff whose clinical practice needs to be of a high standard in order to ensure patient safety. The proposals cover a range of options, including full statutory regulation of those staff, and the Government will decide on the way forward in the light of responses to the consultation.
§ Mr. CarmichaelI thank the Minister for that answer, but I view the lack of urgency with which the Government are approaching the question as quite disappointing. Does he not accept that the increased use of such assistants without proper regulation exposes patients to risk and assistants to exploitation?
§ Mr. LammyRegulation of health care workers in Scotland is a matter for the devolved Parliament, but generally, we will be making proposals. It is right that we think carefully about them when other issues, such as "Agenda for Change", are continuing in the rest of the United Kingdom.