DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by COI News Distribution Service. 21 January 2009
An historic
signing ceremony to mark the launch of the NHS Constitution for
England took place at Downing Street today. The Constitution, the
first of its kind in the world, was signed by Prime Minister
Gordon Brown, Health Secretary Alan Johnson and NHS Chief
Executive David Nicholson.
The Constitution will give power to patients and the public by
bringing their existing rights together in one place so they know
what they are legally entitled to - and how they can exercise
their rights as well as understanding their responsibilities. It
also contains a range of pledges to patients, public and staff,
which the NHS is committed to achieving. For NHS staff, the
Constitution will mean an NHS-wide commitment to equipping them
with the tools, training and support they need to deliver high
quality care for patients.
Lord Darzi's review of the NHS, High Quality Care for All
concluded last summer that there was a case for an NHS
Constitution to enshrine the principles and values of the NHS in
England. The landmark document will put in one place what
patients, staff and the public can expect of the health service.
It is designed to safeguard the future of the NHS and renew its
core values, making sure it continues to be relevant to the needs
of patients, the public and staff in the 21st century.
Health Secretary, Alan Johnson said:
"This is a momentous point in the history of the NHS.
Following on from Lord Darzi's Next Stage Review, the launch
of the NHS Constitution shows how its founding principles still
endure today and have resonance for staff, patients and public
alike. It will ensure that we protect the NHS for generations to come.
"The content of the Constitution is based on discussions
with thousands of NHS staff and patients across the country and
will form the basis of a new relationship between staff and
patients - a relationship based on partnership, respect and shared
commitment where everyone knows what they can expect from the NHS
and what is expected from them."
The Constitution is the result of extensive consultation with
staff and patients, which was led by strategic health authorities
and overseen by independent experts on the Constitutional Advisory
Forum (CAF). In response to the consultation and report published
by the CAF, the final Constitution includes:
* A right to makes choices about your care and to information to
help exercise that choice
* A new legal right to receive the vaccinations that the Joint
Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommends that you
should receive under an NHS-provided national immunisation programme
* A right making explicit your entitlement to drugs and
treatments that have been recommended by NICE for use in the NHS,
if your doctor says they are clinically appropriate for you
* A right to expect local decisions on funding of other drugs and
treatments to be made rationally following a proper consideration
of the evidence
* Clear and comprehensive rights to complaint and redress
David Nicholson, NHS Chief Executive said:
"Ara Darzi asked me in his interim report to lead a work
programme exploring the merits of a Constitution for the NHS. This
has been a fantastic opportunity to listen to what matters most to
our patients, public and staff and to use this to set out clearly
the values and purpose of the NHS system.
"It also pulls together in one place what the patients who
use the NHS, the public who fund it and the staff who provide it,
can expect to receive from the NHS, and the contribution they can
make themselves.
"I'm proud to sign off the Constitution today and am
sure that it will be a powerful driver of change in the system,
and help us to deliver care fit for the 21st century."
Professor Steve Field, Chairman of the Royal College of Practitioners,
said:
"By stating that patients have a responsibility to register
with a GP practice, the NHS Constitution reinforces the central
role of the GP and the importance of continuity of care in the NHS
today and in the future.
"We become GPs because we want to help people improve the
quality of
their lives through better healthcare. GPs want to
provide the solutions
and lead improvements and innovations.
Having the Constitution in place
will help us improve
standards and care for all our patients, whoever
and wherever
they are.
"The new NHS Constitution is something which all GPs, their
practice
teams and NHS staff can commit to and have confidence
in. I'm convinced that it will be an important, defining
point in the development of our NHS."
Sally Brearley, Chair of the Patients Forum said:
"The NHS Constitution is a very valuable re-affirmation of
the principles and values of the NHS. I was delighted to be
involved in the process of drawing it up. It demonstrates the
commitment of Government to the NHS, and of the NHS to its
patients. We know that the public supports the NHS. The
Constitution provides an important opportunity for patients,
public and NHS staff to focus on giving our best to the NHS, and
getting the best out of it."
Also published today are the Handbook to the NHS Constitution; a
Statement of NHS Accountability; regulations, directions and
guidance to support the new rights around choice, vaccines and the
funding of drugs and treatments; and our response to the
consultation and the CAF's recommendations.
The Health Bill, published last week, will underpin the new
Constitution by creating new legislation to ensure that the
Constitution will be reviewed every 10 years and a duty on NHS
bodies, as well as independent sector and third sector providers
of NHS services, to have regard to the Constitution.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
1. The NHS Constitution can be found at http://www.dh.gov.uk/nhsconstitution
2. Also published today are the Handbook to the NHS Constitution
and a Statement of NHS Accountability. The Handbook to the NHS
Constitution is designed to give NHS staff and patients all the
information they need about the NHS Constitution. It explains in
more detail what the rights, pledges and responsibilities mean and
explains what to do if rights are not met or pledges are not
upheld. It also explains the legal basis of each right. The
Statement of NHS Accountability describes the system of
responsibility and accountability for taking decisions in the NHS
and provides a summary of the structure and functions of the NHS
in England.
3. The Health Bill, published on 16 January, provides for a legal
duty on NHS bodies and independent contractors providing NHS
services to have regard to the NHS Constitution in their decisions
and actions. The Bill also requires the NHS Constitution to be
reviewed at least every ten years with full consultation. The bill
can be viewed online here: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Legislation/Actsandbills/DH_093280
4. Lord Darzi's review of the NHS, High Quality Care for
All, concluded that there was a case for a NHS Constitution to
enshrine the principles and values of the NHS. A draft
Constitution based on extensive evidence and research with public,
patients and staff was published for consultation on 30 June 2008.
The consultation process was led by strategic health authorities
and overseen by a group of experts called the Constitutional
Advisory Forum. Consultation events for patients, the public and
staff were held in each primary care trust and the outcomes fed
back to the strategic health authorities and then the
Constitutional Advisory Forum. The Department of Health also
received over a thousand direct responses to the consultation.
The consultation closed on 17 October 2008.
5. The Constitutional Advisory Forum published its report on 11
December, emphasising that the response to the consultation had
been overwhelmingly positive, with a broad consensus in favour of
a NHS Constitution. The Constitutional Advisory Forum made a
series of recommendations to the Department of Health on how to
improve the Constitution document itself and on how to embed it in
the NHS. The Department has responded to these recommendations
and to the messages from the consultation in the government
response to the consultation, published today.