Darzi advises on tackling NHS changes
Five pledges on how the NHS should handle changes to services are set out by Lord Darzi in his report “Leading
local change”, published last week. This comes ahead of Lord Darzi’s final report on the NHS, expected June 2008.
The pledges — which primary care trusts will have a duty to “have
regard to” — include making sure that change always benefits
the patient, is based on good clinical evidence, is led locally instead
of imposed nationally and depends on the involvement of patients, the
public and other key partners. The final pledge is that existing services
should not be withdrawn until the new service has proved itself.
Georgina Craig, lead on commissioning policy for the Company Chemists’ Association,
believes that Lord Darzi’s five pledges are important, but largely
self evident. “From a CCA perspective, it matters not that Lord
Darzi has made these pledges, but that he and the Government are committed
to honouring them in new and fundamentally different ways, moving forward,” she
added.
Darzi’s report refers to eight key steps to deciding on substantive
service changes to make the five pledges a reality. These eight steps
are included in detailed operational guidance, “Changing for the
better”, also published last week.
Over the next month, every strategic health authority in England will
publish a clinically-led vision document for improving health and healthcare
over the next decade. Lord Darzi is expected to publish his final report
in June, which aims to enable and support the improvements identified
locally.
All documents are available on the Darzi
review website
NHS
Reform Bill A new NHS Reform Bill — which will take forward
any proposals
arising from Lord Darzi’s next stage review that require primary legislation — was
included in the Government’s draft legislative programme, published this
week.
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