HEALTHCARE COMMISSION REACTION TO DARZI REVIEW

1 Jul 2008 10:17 AM The Healthcare Commission yesterday welcomed Lord Darzi’s review of the NHS.

Commenting on the proposals overall, Sir Ian Kennedy, Chair of the Healthcare Commission, said:

“This has a real chance of helping to improve the quality of care that patients receive. The proposals should be given a fair wind – they deserve one.”

He added: “While we welcome the objectives of this review, it is essential to have an independent assessment of progress. The document is somewhat short on how this will come about and the role of regulation. We will be raising this with the government.”

Commenting on the proposed NHS constitution, he said:

“We have been working for the past three years to embed, for the first time, core standards on the care of patients right across the NHS. We therefore welcome a Constitution that will help keep the spotlight firmly on standards and the quality of care.”

Regarding information, he said:

“This is a further step in the right direction. Our work has shown how publishing for patients information about outcomes helps to raise standards. But, it’s important to recognise that it is not easy to define outcomes when you move from surgery to medical care.

“For many areas of care - for example mental health services, elderly care, people with long-term conditions, children with complex needs, people with learning disabilities - there is a huge and important task in getting better information on the outcomes being achieved in helping people live healthy and independent lives. We will continue to work with others on this, looking to improve information on outcomes across the NHS and independent healthcare sector.”

Sir Ian also welcomed the emphasis on the promotion of health and the prevention of disease.

He added that moving care from hospitals into the community would benefit patients. "The NHS must be open to new models of care, organised with only the needs of patients in mind,” he said.