This year marks the 10th anniversary of the NHS Confederation - the trade body that represents over 90 per cent of NHS organisations. And just like the NHS, the Confederation is changing.
We have remained responsive to the needs of our members which have become more diverse as the NHS reform agenda gathers pace. We set up the Foundation Trust Network in 2004 and the Prime Minister launched our Primary Care Trust Network at the end of 2006. This year will see the launch of the Mental Health Network and potentially other sector networks as well.
It is important that the NHS Confederation stays closely attuned to our members' views about how we need to develop to remain a strong and effective organisation speaking out on their behalf. While different parts of the health service have distinct voices, all parts are committed to improving patient care and health by reforming the NHS.
The Confederation has developed a broad work programme for 2007 which is designed to break new ground on policy, help our members implement the reform agenda and spread good practice throughout the health service.
The work programme consists of six cross-cutting areas:
Strategy and configuration
The NHS must put in place solid strategies locally that plan ahead for the whole health community. Policy is driven by the Department of Health and the focus locally is too often on achieving targets and breaking even. We need a better way to plan for the long term, including how services must be reconfigured locally to better meet the needs of patients and the public.
Commissioning
Following Commissioning a Patient Led NHS, the reorganisation of Primary Care Trusts, and the introduction of choice and payment by results, the importance of good commissioning is increasingly recognised. Primary Care Trusts are focusing their energies on how to ensure their local communities get the services they need but they are finding that there is a shortage of good practice from which to learn.
Creating a patient focused NHS
Putting the patient first seems obvious but is often historically not the way the service has been organised. Too often success has been measured on how many operations we perform, not the outcomes of those operations. We make patients travel from GP to hospital and back again for simple blood tests, because it suits our way of working. And we don't join up our services to help people keep well and stay in their own home. This work programme will also be the theme of this year's NHS Confederation annual conference in June.
Future visions
This year will see a new prime minister, the launch of the Conservative Party's health policy review, and the major development of the reform agenda. The service needs to influence the direction of policy to ensure every reform benefits patients. This work programme will be focussing on tackling health inequalities, independent board for the NHS as well as developing work with the joint consultants committee on future vision for the NHS.
Finance and value for money
The NHS has enjoyed record increases in investment since 2000. The pace of increase will slow down following the Comprehensive Spending Review in 2007. The service needs to constantly become more productive and use its resources as effectively as possible, because every penny wasted is a penny that cannot be spent on patient care.
Public confidence in the NHS
The NHS continues to face increasing public criticism in terms of delivery, value for money and financial management. The impact of this criticism on patient care is a cause of great concern. First, public confidence in the NHS is likely to be undermined. Second, vociferous public criticism from politicians and the media make it harder for NHS leaders to take the kind of difficult but necessary decisions that will sustain the NHS in the long term. The Confederation is continuing its work throughout 2007 aimed at creating a more informed public debate on value for money and effectiveness of the NHS.
However diverse the needs of our members becomes, the NHS Confederation will remain the only place where all those involved in providing and commissioning healthcare can come together to learn, share and improve the NHS for patients and the public.
To find out how you can get involved in our work, please visit our website: www.nhsconfed.org
Dr Gill Morgan
DBE Chief Executive
NHS Confederation
Medendium, volume 26, spring 2007
