Surgeon appointed to lead new NHS review
pharmafile | July 5, 2007 | News story | |
One of the world's leading surgeons, Professor Ara Darzi, has been handed the task of conducting a major new review of the health service and how it serves patients.
Gordon Brown had declared that the NHS would be one of his priorities once he took office, and has appointed Prof Darzi as a health minister as part of his cabinet reshuffle which saw the deeply unpopular Patricia Hewitt replaced with Alan Johnson.
Prof Darzi will now conduct a comprehensive review and consultation on the future direction of the health service, and will deliver his verdict in time for the NHS's 60th anniversary in July 2008.
The appointment of a clinician to take a fresh look at the NHS is clearly intended to heal the rift between health professionals and the government caused by upheaval and pressure to change and eliminate debts, which has caused morale to sink to an all-time low.
Darzis' appointment is also meant to counter accusations that much NHS reform has been politically motivated. And while Gordon Brown had floated the idea of setting the health service free from direct political control in late 2006, this proposal now seems to have been shelved or at least diluted.
Brown has indicated that at the review will consider the case for an NHS constitution, which might guarantee standards for patients and restrict the influence of politicians to introduce reform directly.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "No institution touches the lives of the British people like the NHS." But he added it could not afford to stand still.
While the fundamental messages about patient-led change remains the same as under Blair, if Brown's policy is to genuinely give more power to clinicians rather than NHS managers or politicians this will be a significant change iof tack.
"Lasting change can only come from clinicians and staff, said Gordon Brown. "We need to do much more to empower staff, to give them the time with patients that they need to improve care, to put them in the lead in developing ideas on improving patient-care, and to respect their professionalism.
The prime minister promised an unprecedented process of engagement and consultation with NHS staff up and down the country to establish the best way forward for the health service and reiterated his vision of creating a 'world class' NHS.
4 key areas the review will consider
* Putting clinical decision-making at the heart of the future of the NHS and the pattern of service delivery
* Improving patient care, including high-quality, joined-up services and ensuring patients are treated with dignity in safe, clean environments
* Delivering more accessible and more convenient care integrated across primary and secondary providers, reflecting best value for money
* Establishing a vision for the NHS based on more on patient control, choice and local accountability and services responsive to local communities
Johnson pledges stability
The new health secretary Alan Johnson has also announced an extra £50 million to fight hospital-based infections with a doubling in the size of inspection teams.
Johnson admitted that the government had lost the goodwill of frontline professionals.
"If the morale and goodwill of the profession dissipates, then our capacity for bringing about improvement for patients diminishes.
"We must acknowledge that we have not managed to keep the profession on board as we have steered a path through the turbulent waters of change."
Johnson also pledged to give the NHS "the sustained period of organisational and financial stability it requires".
Responding to the announcement of the review, BMA chairman Hamish Meldrum said: "While we welcome the commitment to trust, honesty and respect, there will be widespread cynicism that this is yet another review which will raise the profession's hopes and the public's expectations, yet fail to deliver the real changes that are necessary to restore professional and public confidence."
