Department of Health and Social Care
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From Sickness Service to Health Service

From Sickness Service to Health Service

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH News Release (2007/0098) issued by The Government News Network on 30 April 2007

Leading clinical experts map progress made by NHS

In four new reports launched today at a special King's Fund event attended by the Prime Minister, Tony Blair and the Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, leading clinical experts have set out the progress made for patients in key areas of NHS service over the past decade.

In 1997, the UK was widely regarded as the coronary heart disease capital of the world, with high mortality rates, poor access to care and services stagnating. Since then, thanks to record investment and improvement in services the NHS has saved more than 100,000 extra lives from heart disease. Now, nobody is waiting more than three months for heart surgery, compared to hundreds of patients waiting over a year, and some waiting over two years ten years ago.

The report 'Coronary Heart Disease Ten Years On: Improving Heart Health' by Roger Boyle, National Clinical Director for Heart Disease and Stroke, also shows that nearly 10,000 lives are being saved each year through the increased use of statins, and that premature deaths from circulatory disease (CHD, stroke and related diseases) in people under 75 have now fallen by almost 36% in the past decade, meaning the NHS is expected to meet the target of a 40% reduction by 2010, at least two years early.

In 'Emergency Care Ten Years On: Reforming Emergency Care', National Director for Emergency Access, Professor Sir George Alberti, has highlighted the transformation of A&E services, with record investment and innovative new ways of working resulting in an end to the long delays patients used to experience. Now the focus is on encouraging health communities to deliver appropriate and timely emergency care, wherever and whenever patients need it.

Professor Mike Richards, National Cancer Director, describes cancer services in 1997 that were not meeting the needs of patients, with survival rates lagging behind other Western European countries and unacceptably long waits for diagnosis and treatment. 'Cancer Ten Years On: Improvements across the whole care pathway' shows how investment and reform has meant improvements in screening, diagnostics, treatment and care. By delivering better treatment to more people than ever before, 50,000 extra lives have been saved in the past decade, meaning we are on target to meet our target of a reduction of at least 20% in cancer deaths by 2010.

Professor Louis Appleby, National Clinical Lead for Mental Health, maps the 10-year programme of reform of mental health care in 'Ten Years On: Progress on Mental Health Care Reform'. Increased annual investment of over £1.5bn has resulted in 700 new mental health teams in the community, increases in all main staff groups, increased patient satisfaction and record falls in suicide rates, meaning that the World Health Organisation now rates England's mental health services as the 'best in Europe'.

Commenting on the progress made, Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, said:

"We have improved care across the board by ending the era of uniform, monolithic provision in the NHS, putting patients and their needs in the driving seat. While a decade ago the very survival of the NHS was questioned, now the debate centres on the quality of the care offered.

"We have invested to reflect the changes in health care which means a greater demand for specialist care in centres of excellence but more scope as well for local services through the extension of community facilities. We have put new incentives into the system and devolved power to the front-line and communities to continue accelerating progress.

"Thanks to the hard work of staff, high quality care on the NHS is no longer the preserve of the lucky or the well connected but genuinely universal, still free at the point of use and focussed on those who need it most."

The King's Fund event will feature a breakfast discussion with the Prime Minister and the Health Secretary, which will consider the impact of ten years of investment and reform in health and health services, and the challenges that lie ahead. There will be contributions from four perspectives in the health service:

- Nigel Edwards, Policy Director, NHS Confederation

- Dr Peter Carter OBE, General Secretary, Royal College of Nursing

- Jim Johnson, Chair, British Medical Association

- David Pink, Chief Executive, Long-term Medical Conditions Alliance

Notes For Editors

1. The four reports can all be accessed at http://www.dh.gov.uk from 12pm on Sunday 29 April

[ENDS]

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