Conflicting Accountabilities in the 2012 Health Care Reforms in England

Analyzing the legislative process of the 2012 Health and Social Care Act in Britain, we investigate the different uses of “accountability” in the committee debates. Based on the minutes of the Public Bill Committee from 2010 to 2011, we examine the contested accountability relationships in relation to the Secretary of State for Health, the Monitor, and the Health and Wellbeing Boards. On the one hand, we discern a shift away from traditional forms of accountability toward professional, managerial, and legal forms of accountability. On the other hand, we note how the concept of “accountability” is used in various ways to gloss this shift over, whilst traditional political accountability is reasserted.