NHS reforms turn to ‘family health services’
pharmafile | May 24, 2005 | News story | |
Five years into the programme of reforms started with the NHS Plan, attention has turned to the services provided by GPs and others in primary and non-scheduled care.
Newly appointed health secretary Patricia Hewitt will continue the largely hospital-based reforms put in place by her predecessors, Alan Milburn and John Reid, but wants to add a new focus.
"Halfway through our ten-year programme of investment and reform, it is now time to focus more closely on the family health services provided by GPs, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, paramedics and others in primary and non-scheduled care," she said.
She noted the value that patients place on the continuity of care they receive from their GP, but highlighted other, newer ways of receiving care, such as from paramedics, walk-in centres and NHS Direct, confirming that the reforms will look at more than just primary care.
Lasting improvements in health and social care are planned, but details on how these will be achieved, scarce up to now, will have to wait for the forthcoming White Paper on Social Care, due after a period of public consultation.
Prime Minster Tony Blair said the White Paper would be published later this autumn and the Queen's speech at the state opening of Parliament promised more choice to patients and more freedom to NHS staff.
Prior to this a programme of 'public engagement' will consult patients as well as healthcare practitioners about their aspirations and expectations about the sorts of family health services they want to see.
Hewitt said it was still vital that future changes come "from the bottom-up, not be imposed from the top down" but added that she wanted to see the new National Leadership Network (NLN) play a central role.
Speaking at the first full meeting of NLN, the health secretary said: "I want to hear the views of people working in the NHS and social care. And I want to hear from the patients and users of its services about their experiences."
The NLN replaces the NHS Modernisation Board, which advised ministers on the first phase of the NHS Plan. The NLN consists of over 150 chairs and chief executives of PCTs, SHAs, presidents of Royal Colleges and leaders of trade unions, charities as well as other NHS bodies.
Headed up by the former chief executive of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire strategic health authority, Peter Houghton, the NLN will provide a new leadership model and different change management processes from its predecessor.
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