NHS Confederation: NHS constitution a challenge

Steve Barnett, chief executive of the NHS Confederation comments on the draft Queen's speech:

“An NHS constitution will enshrine the values and principles of the NHS and help set a balance between central control and local autonomy. However, there will be challenges in making this meaningful for staff and patients in an organisation the size of the NHS, especially in relation to their rights and responsibilities.”

“The NHS Confederation has long said that the NHS needs to focus more on patient experience and health outcomes, and a review of the payment system will be a helpful step in realising this. Any changes to the tariff would need to both improve the quality of care and deliver value for money, and provide the right incentives that put patients at the very heart of the system.

“Primary care trusts want to be more accountable to patients and the public, and the Confederation supports their involvement in local decision-making. The NHS can also achieve the stronger accountability it aspires to by providing more information for the public on how decisions are made and strengthening existing structures and relationships with local government. ”

“While individualised budgets could be an important part of providing personalised and cost effective care, there needs to be a commitment to develop pilots to explore how best to evaluate this approach.”