07 May 2005
An exclusive poll of NHS chief executives reveals that sustaining improvements in patient care must be the top priority for new Secretary of State for Health Patricia Hewitt but points out that this will require continued financial investment in health services beyond 2008.
The NHS leaders were asked what their number one priority would be in the wake of the General Election, if they were in Patricia Hewitt's job, in a survey conducted by the NHS Confederation during the election campaign.
They have delivered a clear message that continued investment beyond 2008 will be needed to maintain current levels of service and to deliver much-needed improvements in areas that have not yet benefited from the recent increases in funding.
In total, 77 chief executives of acute trusts, primary care trusts, strategic health authorities and foundation trusts in England took part in the poll by the NHS Confederation, whose members include more than 90% of NHS organisations throughout the UK.
The results show that 34% of chief executives believe that 'ensuring the financial stability of the NHS up to and beyond 2008' is the top priority.
The poll confirms the importance of continued government investment in the NHS to the staff who run it.
In a survey of 2,000 NHS managers published by Health Service Journal magazine on April 28, 84% of respondents agreed that maintaining the current level of financial growth after 2008 was necessary to provide the care patients need.
Chief executives taking part in the NHS Confederation poll also gave high priority to ensuring that the payment mechanisms that underpin the new NHS give the right incentives for the enormous change programme taking place - this was the second placed priority.
The third and fourth placed priorities - 'improving long-term public health (17%) and 'integrating primary, secondary and social care' (9%) - indicate that NHS leaders believe more emphasis needs to be placed on the 80% of NHS treatment which is provided outside acute hospitals.
Dr Gill Morgan, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, says: "We welcome Patricia Hewitt as the new Secretary of State for Health and we look forward to developing a close working relationship with her to ensure that she can keep her finger on the pulse of the health service.
"Our poll of NHS chief executives is unequivocal - NHS funding is set to grow by £41.5 billion between 2002 and 2008 which means that we are halfway through an extremely welcome period of investment in this country's health and health services.
This extra investment is already paying dividends - for example, the number of patients on waiting lists and the amount of time they have to spend on those waiting lists has been dramatically reduced - but it must be maintained because people are living longer, the cost of new drugs and technology is increasing and the care that we provide for NHS patients needs to keep pace with rising public expectations.
"Some of this can be dealt with by improving working practices and productivity. The investment in new staff contracts, modern facilities and information systems will help frontline clinical staff and managers but delivering a world class health service requires a long-term vision, approach and investment to deal with the backlog create by many years of neglect. Long-term transformation is delivered by sustained commitment and not by a cycle of 'boom and bust'.
"We are already looking ahead to the 2006 government spending review, which will determine the amount of money allocated to the NHS after 2008, and believe the health service can make a strong case for continued investment."
Dr Morgan says that the poll also contains a second important message.
"Chief executives are clear that improving the long-term public health of the population through better integration of primary, secondary and social care must be a key priority of the Labour government's third term of office.
"It is only by tackling the causes of ill health, and improving the general health and wellbeing of the public, that we can reduce the burden on our acute hospitals."
ENDS
1. The NHS Confederation represents more than 90% of the organisations that make up the NHS throughout the UK. Its members include the majority of NHS trusts, foundation trusts, primary care trusts and health authorities in England; trusts and local health boards in Wales; NHS boards and special boards in Scotland; and health and social service trusts and boards in Northern Ireland.
2. The NHS Confederation poll is based on an email questionnaire sent out to a representative sample of 120 NHS chief executives in England across a range of NHS trusts, primary care trusts, strategic health authorities and foundation trusts - 77 chief executives responded to this poll.
3. NHS chief executives were asked what their first priority would be if they were the new Secretary of State for Health after the General Election - a choice of 10 options:
Ensuring financial stability up to and beyond 2008 - 34%
Refining the system reform agenda - 22%
Improving long-term public health - 17%
Integrating primary, secondary and social care - 9%
Ensuring a period of structural stability for NHS organisations - 9%
Extending the policies for people living with a long-term condition - 4%
Reducing the burden of bureaucracy on NHS organisations - 3%
Developing a renewed focus on mental health services - 3%
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Last reviewed 6 Nov 2006