7 January 2008

Giving his first speech on health as prime minister, Gordon Brown said the NHS should offer a personal and preventative service and will need deeper and wider reform.

Screening

There will be new access to check-ups, screening and preventative vaccines, the next stage being offering men over 65 an ultrasound test for early abdominal aortic aneurysm. This affects 3,000 men a year and will eventually save more than 1,600 lives a year. Health secretary Alan Johnson will be introducing a set of tests on the NHS for vulnerability to heart and circulation problems. In future, all recommendations of the National Screening Committee will be made available to all.

Diversity of provision

Mr Brown saw choice of provider as a response to growing expectations and is creating a genuine level playing field between competing local providers. All mechanisms available - public, private and voluntary providers will be used and there will be no 'no-go areas'.

Primary care and patient involvement

Hospital clinicians and GPs will be given stronger incentives to work together and foundation trusts (FTs) will be given the freedom to provide primary care where this is in the interests of patients. He wants FTs to increase their membership from 1 million to 3 million and will explore ways of improving the legitimacy and accountability of PCTs and their commissioning decisions.

Constitution

The NHS constitution will set out the 'NHS offer' to patients, for example the maximum time from GP referral to treatment. It will also set out responsibilities to make good use of NHS resources so patients who miss appointments will not have the same entitlement to waiting time guarantees.

Management

There will be greater operational independence for local NHS organisations and clinicians to be established through the constitution. Earlier in the speech he said there will be new action to remove underperforming hospital management and FTs will be able to take over failing hospitals.

Public health

Mr Brown said Alan Johnson will propose to enhance the role of employers in helping their staff lead healthy lives and extend the kind of employment benefits at present currently only available to only the few.