Monday, November 20, 2006

Chapter 2 - The Future of the NHS


This is a summary of Chapter 2, written by the Rt. Hon. Patricia Hewitt MP, Secretary of State for Health.

Ask people what makes them proud to be British and most will name the NHS. In this chapter Patricia Hewitt explains the nature of necessary change and describes what a reformed NHS will look like. She first tackles why we need more change and then explains the four strands of reform:

1) More choice and a stronger voice for patients
She wanta to create a self-improving health service that designs its services around patients, rather than making patients fit in around the service.

2) Money following patient.
She beleives as patients exercise more choice, as different hospitals challenge each other to provide the best quality, as payment by results exposes differences in practice and therefore in cost, every clinician, every manager and every organisation will have an inbuilt incentive to compare themselves with the best, to innovate and improve, to give patients the best possible care – and taxpayers the best possible value for money.

3) Create more diverse providers
In her new NHS, there will be an element of competition. As that drives the less good hospitals to improve – or sees their services replaced by better providers.

4) A new framework of regulation and decision-making that guarantees quality, fairness, equity and value for money
She believes this will ensure proper stewardship of public funds.

She concludes that now is the only opportunity we will have in our lifetime to secure a health service that is true to its founding values, but fit for modern demands.

If people want to comment on this chapter, then please log onto www.thefutureofthenhs.com or send me a comment direct.

1 comment:

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