Patients put at the heart of the NHS

Plans to modernise the National Health Service and put patients at the heart of everything it does were set out in the Health and Social Care Bill, published today (Wednesday 19 January 2011).

Better care, more choice and improved outcomes for patients are just some of the proposed changes that Rochdale might hope to see, as well as long-term financial savings for the NHS.

These will be available for reinvestment to improve care. There will also be a defined legal duty for the NHS and the whole care system to improve the quality of patient care, under new measures.

The Health and Social Care Bill 2011 includes proposals to: 

• bring commissioning closer to patients by giving responsibility to GP-led groups;
• increase accountability for patients and the public by establishing HealthWatch and local health and wellbeing boards within local councils;
• liberate the NHS from political micro-management by supporting all trusts to become foundation trusts and establishing independent regulation;
• improve public health by creating Public Health England; and
• reduce bureaucracy by streamlining arm's-length bodies.

The plans would improve the NHS in five key ways:

• patients would be more involved in decisions about their treatment and care so that it is right for them - there will be 'no decision about me without me';
• the NHS would be more focussed on results that are meaningful to patients by measuring outcomes such as how successful their treatment was and their quality of life, not just processes like waiting list targets;
• clinicians would lead the way - GP-led groups will commission services based on what they consider their local patients need, not on what managers feel the NHS can provide;
• there will be real democratic legitimacy, with local councils and clinicians coming together to shape local services; and
• they will allow the best people to deliver the best care for patients - with those on the front-line in control, not Ministers or bureaucrats.

These measures will also save the NHS over £5 billion by 2014/15 and then £1.7 billion every year after that - enough money to pay for over 40,000 extra nurses, 17,000 extra doctors or over 11,000 extra senior doctors every year. The majority of the savings would come from a significant reduction in bureaucracy following the abolition of strategic health authorities and primary care trusts, and a reduction in management staff by an estimated 24,500 posts. The changes would pay for themselves by 2012/13 and the subsequent savings would give the NHS a stable financial basis for the future.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: "Modernising the NHS is a necessity, not an option - in order to meet rising need in the future, we need to make changes. We need to take steps to improve health outcomes, bringing them up to the standards of the best international healthcare systems, and to bring down the NHS money spent on bureaucracy. This legislation will deliver changes that will improve outcomes for patients and save the NHS £1.7 billion every year - money that will be reinvested into services for patients.

"This is the start of a cultural shift to a patient-centred NHS. The proposals set out today in the Health and Social Care Bill will strengthen the NHS for the future and make the changes that are needed for vital modernisation to put more patients and NHS staff in control."

Paul Burstow, Care Services Minister, said: "We're updating the NHS for the 21st Century by making it more personal and more local. The NHS will always be free at the point of use and far to all who need it. By trusting patients and carers to make the best choices we will make the NHS focus on delivering high quality and safe care."

Dr Michael Dixon, Chairman of the NHS Alliance, said: "The current reforms will empower family doctors and their patients to make a real difference to the health services available to local people. Many GPs have been fighting for these reforms for a number of years and after a few false starts, it is good to see the Government is listening and taking the appropriate measures. It is courageous and right. The NHS Alliance welcomes the principles behind the reforms which will put GPs and patients in the driving seat when it comes to raising the quality and efficiencies of services. It is refreshing to see a reform programme that will create a better balance between local and national requirements."

The Bill will proceed through the Houses of Parliament over the coming months.