Title of driver: “Equity and excellence: liberating the NHS” White Paper
Source: Department of Health
The Department of Health Business Plan 2013-2015 (July 2013) outlines the structural reform priorities of the coalition government:
1. Create a patient-led NHS
2. Promote better healthcare outcomes
3. Revolutionise NHS accountability
4. Promote public health
5. Reform social care
Publication format: PDF
Date of publication: 12th July 2010
Summary of driver:
The NHS White Paper sets out the Government’s long-term vision for the future of the NHS. The vision builds on the core values and principles of the NHS – a comprehensive service, available to all, free at the point of use, based on need, not ability to pay. It sets out how we will: put patients at the heart of everything the NHS does; focus on continuously improving those things that really matter to patients – the outcome of their healthcare; and empower and liberate clinicians to innovate, with the freedom to focus on improving healthcare services.
Key features extracted from the Executive Summary:
- Putting patients and public first: We will put patients at the heart of the NHS, through an information revolution and greater choice and control
- Improving healthcare outcomes: To achieve our ambition for world-class healthcare outcomes, the service must be focused on outcomes and the quality standards that deliver them. The Government’s objectives are to reduce mortality and morbidity, increase safety, and improve patient experience and outcomes for all.
- Autonomy, accountability and democratic legitimacy: The Government’s reforms will empower professionals and providers, giving them more autonomy and, in return, making them more accountable for the results they achieve, accountable to patients through choice and accountable to the public at local level (GP Commissioning)
- Cutting bureaucracy and improving efficiency: The NHS will need to achieve unprecedented efficiency gains, with savings reinvested in front-line services, to meet the current financial challenge and the future costs of demographic and technological change . (Removal of PCTs and SHAs)
Primary audience: Everyone working in the NHS
Impact on library policy/practice: The White Paper provides a challenge to Libraries and librarians, as the changes in structure (e.g. removal of PCT/SHA and introduction of new stakeholder groups CCGs/CSUs) have a continuing impact on the way services are delivered.
Some ideas about how the driver could be linked to library services are summarised below:
- Focus on ‘information’ and ‘evidence’ Link here for discussion Lansley leads information revolution
- The White Paper mentions ‘evidence’ on the following pages 4, 8, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 21, 22, 23, 30, 31, 49 and 55.
- “Information, combined with the right support, is the key to better care, better outcomes and reduced costs.” Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS. Department of Health, July 2010. 2.5 p.13.
- The white paper highlights the need for patient care quality standards to be based on the ‘best available evidence’ (p.23).
Case studies / Local service profile examples mapping to this driver: None @ 4.10.2013
Date last updated: 4.10.2013
Due for review: April 2014
Group member responsible: TP
Tagged: National policy, Outcomes, Patient-centred care, White paper