Press release: Comment on more operational independence for the NHS

25 Sep 2006

Commenting on operational independence for the day-to-day running of the NHS, Nigel Edwards, Director of Policy at the NHS Confederation said:

"We have long argued that the only way to improve the NHS is to give local boards, who know what their communities need, the freedom and power to run the NHS. Politics should be removed from the every day running of the service.

"Our recent report Lost in Translation demonstrated that political involvement in the NHS is undermining public confidence in the service and that we risk abandoning the whole notion of the NHS if people believe it can never improve.

"It is absolutely right that politicians set the strategic direction for the NHS - they are democratically accountable and hold the purse strings. But management need the autonomy to get on and deliver.

"We therefore completely support the principles of devolution and look forward to working with politicians and the service on putting those principles into practice."

ENDS

Notes for editors

The NHS Confederation represents more than 90% of the organisations that make up the NHS. Its members include the majority of NHS acute trusts, ambulance trusts, foundation trusts, mental health trusts, primary care trusts, special health authorities and strategic health authorities in England; trusts and local health boards in Wales; and health and social service trusts and boards in Northern Ireland.

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