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White Paper - fundamental change for NHS
Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley today set out the Government's ambitious plans to reform the NHS during this Parliament and for the long-term. The White Paper ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS' details how power will be devolved from Whitehall to patients and professionals.
Professionals will be free to focus on improving health outcomes so that these are amongst the best in the world. Improving the quality of care will become the main purpose of the NHS.
Patients will get more choice and control, backed by an information revolution, so that services are more responsive to patients and designed around them, rather than patients having to fit around services. The principle will be "no decisions about me without me".
Under the new plans, patients will be able to choose which GP practice they register with, regardless of where they live, and choose between consultant-led teams. More comprehensive and transparent information, such as patients' own ratings, will help them make these choices together with healthcare professionals.
Groups of GPs will be given freedom and responsibility for commissioning care for their local communities. Providers of services will have new freedoms and they will be more accountable. There will be greater competition in the NHS and greater cooperation. Services will be more joined up, supported by a new role for Local Authorities to support integration across health and social care.
As a result of the changes, the NHS will be streamlined with fewer layers of bureaucracy. Strategic Health Authorities and Primary Care Trusts will be phased out. Management costs will be reduced so that as much resource as possible supports frontline services. The reforms build on changes started under the previous Government.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said:
'People voted for change and the Coalition Agreement set out a bold and exciting vision for the future of the NHS - a vision based on the principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility.
'The NHS is our priority. That is why the Coalition Government has committed to increases in NHS resources in real terms each year of this Parliament. The sick must not pay for the debt crisis left by the previous administration. But the NHS is a priority for reform too. Investment has not been matched by reform. So we will reform the NHS to use those resources far more effectively for the benefit of patients.
'The Government's ambition is for health outcomes - and quality services - that are among the best in the world. We have in our sights a unique combination of equity and excellence.
'With patients empowered to share in decisions about their care, with professionals free to tailor services around their patients and with a relentless focus on continuously improving results, I am confident that together we can deliver the efficiency and the improvement in quality that is required to make the NHS a truly world class service.'
Commenting on the White Paper, PSNC Chief Executive Sue Sharpe said:
"We are confident that the White Paper makes provision for the continued development of high quality community pharmacy services. We especially welcome its recognition of an "important and expanding role" for pharmacy; both in helping patients make better use of medicines and in supporting better health.
"We are pleased that pharmacy will retain a national framework, and that commissioning of pharmacy services will be the responsibility of the new NHS commissioning board. The development of community pharmacy services has for too long been held back by the vagaries of patchy PCT commissioning, and this process of reform represents an opportunity to find a better, more cohesive way of ensuring all communities can benefit from high quality pharmacy services. The decision to give Local Authorities control over the commissioning of public health services is also good news for pharmacy; pharmacies are well-placed to build links with local councils, and are ideally positioned to help them cost effectively improve the health and well-being of the communities they serve.
"There can be no doubt that this White Paper represents a seismic change in the structure and culture of the NHS. We recognise that the process of restructuring our health service will not happen overnight, and look forward to working with the Government to ensure that pharmacy's full potential is harnessed in realising the White Paper's vision".
A PSNC summary of the White Paper has been prepared for LPCs and pharmacy contractors.
Posted 13 July 2010