Detailed proposals
for how the NHS will improve healthcare outcomes for patients and
judge its success were set out in a public consultation by the
Department of Health today.
The publication, Transparency in Outcomes - a framework for
the NHS, is the first in a series of specific consultations
to be published in the coming weeks seeking the views of
healthcare professionals, the public and other interested parties
on the detailed proposals. The consultation also marks the start
of a series of visits and events that will take place across the
country this summer to present and discuss our reform plans.
The White Paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the
NHS, published on 12 July, explained the Government’s
intention to create an NHS that is more responsive to patients’
needs and achieves better outcomes that are among the best in the
world.
Today’s publication proposes a new framework that aims to refocus
the NHS on the outcomes achieved for patients rather than the
process targets of the past that had no clinical justification.
The framework includes a set of national outcome goals which
patients and the public can use to judge the overall performance
of the NHS and hold the Government to account for progress. The
framework and the national outcome goals will form a combined
mechanism by which the Secretary of State for Health can hold the
new NHS Commissioning Board to account for the outcomes it is
securing for patients.
The consultation document suggests five outcome domains and seeks
views on the structure and the core principles that should
underpin the development of the framework, as well as the more
specific outcome measures that should be used. The proposed
domains are:
Domain 1: Preventing people from dying prematurely
Domain 2: Enhancing the quality of life for people with
long-term conditions
Domain 3: Helping people to recover from episodes of ill health
or following injury
Domain 4: Ensuring people have a positive experience of care
Domain 5: Treating and caring for people in a safe environment
and protecting them from avoidable harm
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said:
"The White Paper set out the Government's
vision for the NHS - a quality service that achieves health
outcomes that are among the best in the world. I want to free
doctors and nurses to focus on what really matters - better
results for their patients - instead of them being stifled by top
down targets.
“Instead of politically motivated targets which lack clinical
evidence, we will measure the outcomes that are most important to
patients and that are relevant to healthcare professionals. These
will be backed up by authoritative, evidence-based quality
standards that will ensure everyone understands how those outcomes
can be achieved.
“I want to hear the views of healthcare professionals, patients,
carers and the public on how the new system should work, and what
we should measure to ensure the NHS is focussed on what is
important to patients and what improves their overall experience
of NHS care
Notes to Editors
1. The White Paper ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the
NHS’ was published on 12 July 2010 and set out the
Government’s vision for the NHS. The White Paper can be found at:
www.liberatingthenhs.nhs.uk
2. The consultation Transparency in Outcomes - a framework
for the NHS published today (19 July 2010) can be found at: www.dh.gov.uk/liberatingtheNHS
3. People can submit their views via email at NHSWhitePaper@dh.gsi.gov.uk
or by post addressed to White Paper Team, Room 601, Department of
Health, 79 Whitehall, London SW1A 2NS.
4. For further information please contact the Department of
Health Media Centre on 0207 210 5221.
Contacts:
Department of Health
Phone: 020 7210 5221
NDS.DH@coi.gsi.gov.uk