Planning teams set up for the new NHS

The Department of Health has established six planning teams, each including representatives of health care professions, National Health Service managers and the Department's strategy unit, to draw up a national plan for the NHS which is to be published in July.
The Secretary of State for Health (Mr Alan Milburn) announced the key members, including leaders of medical and nursing Royal colleges, for the six teams on March 23. Further appointments, including practising clinicians and managers, were due to be announced this week. Mr Milburn said that the teams would work on addressing the five challenges laid down by the Prime Minister (Mr Tony Blair) last week (see Panel) using the additional funding announced in the budget (PJ, March 25, p457).
Mr Milburn added: "For too long the lack of cash in the Health Service has masked lack of consistence in the Health Service. There is too much variation in both practice and performance in the NHS. With these extra resources, set for the next four years, there should no longer be any excuses for poor performance."

PM's five challenges

The five challenges set down by the Prime Minister are:

• Partnership Making all parts of the health and social care system work better together and ensuring the right emphasis at each level of care
• Performance Improving both clinical performance and health service productivity
• Professions Increasing flexibility in training and working practices and removing demarcations in the context of major expansion of the health care workforce
• Patient care (1) Ensuring fast and convenient access to services in the system; (2) empowering and informing patients so that they can be more involved in their own care
• Prevention Tackling inequalities and focusing the health system on its contribution to tackling the causes of avoidable ill-health