Press release: Confederation backs call for patient and public involvement to be at the heart of the health agenda
04 Feb 2004
The NHS Confederation today called for patient and public involvement to be at the top of the health agenda as the NHS shifts from reporting upwards to Whitehall to focusing outwards on the needs of patients, carers and the wider locality.
The call comes in response to a CHI report which shows that while the NHS is making progress, more needs to be done to establish patient and public involvement as part of NHS organisations' core business.
Dr Gill Morgan, NHS Confederation chief executive said: "The Confederation has long argued that we need to transform the NHS from a service focused on the needs of Whitehall to one that is driven by the needs of patients and the public. As Government steps back from the day to day running of the NHS, we now have a real opportunity to make this culture shift a reality."
The NHS has recently established new ways to engage patients and the public, including Patient Forums and opportunities for local councils to scrutinise their local NHS. The Confederation has welcomed these initiatives, but believes that they can only be part of the answer.
Dr Morgan said: "Effectively engaging patients and the public is vital if we are to build confidence in the NHS and provide services responsive to peoples' needs. We need to simplify and clarify the existing patient and public involvement mechanisms and explore more radical ways in which we can give patients a greater say about the care they receive and engage the public in decisions about local services."
Dr Morgan added: "The challenge now is to build on the successes identified in the CHI report, to roll this out more widely, and to embed patient and public involvement into the core business of the NHS. We believe the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement has a crucial role to play in supporting NHS organisations in meeting this challenge and sharing good practice across the service."
Notes for editors
- The NHS Confederation represents the organisations that make up the NHS. Our ordinary members include the majority of NHS trusts, primary care trusts and strategic health authorities in England; trusts and local health boards in Wales; trusts and NHS boards in Scotland; and health and social service trusts and boards in Northern Ireland.
Contact details
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