Press release: NHS Confederation comments on Gordon Brown's speech
07 Jan 2008
Commenting on today's speech, Nigel Edwards, Director of Policy at the NHS Confederation, said:
"The first health speech from a new Prime Minister always provides a crucial insight into the tone and direction for future health policy. Gordon Brown's agenda is ambitious and will be welcomed by NHS staff.
"There is increasing consensus across the NHS and the political world about the direction of policy and the ways of enabling a technological revolution in health along with real patient empowerment. We are keen to work with the Prime Minister on realising his vision.
"Key to success will be true local autonomy and accountability for the NHS. We therefore welcome the Prime Minister's commitment to a more local control over services.
"We urge him to trust local professionals and leaders to know best how to improve their services for local people. The Prime Minister must trust managers and clinicians to set local priorities and resist calls to impose top down targets."
David Worskett, director of NHS Partners Network, said:
"We welcome the government's continued commitment to involve the independent sector in public health provision and to extend choice. As patients gain greater access to information they will increasingly want to exercise choice; this makes widening the range of providers ever more important.'
Sue Slipman, director of the Foundation Trust Network, said:
"The new freedoms to provide primary care are very welcome; and foundation trusts will be enthusiastic about using their expertise in this arena.
"Foundation Trusts are working hard to increase membership numbers. Ensuring accountability is of course not merely a matter of numbers; membership must also be representative and engaged and foundation trusts are already using innovative ways of involving their local populations.
"Foundation trusts will be interested in helping to turn around the performance of failing hospitals, but they are independent organisations and their boards will have to be confident that in doing so they are not putting the foundation trust at undue risk."
Steve Barnett, Director of NHS Employers said:
"The wellbeing of staff is a priority for NHS employers and we would welcome any initiative which would enable them to help their staff to lead healthier lives. The NHS has many examples of trusts which are pioneering initiatives to improve the health of their workforce such as offering discounted swimming sessions and lunchtime walks. We are sharing these good examples in the hope that we can encourage others to follow suit."
Notes for editors
The NHS Confederation represents more than 95% 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.
Contact details
Contact Ruby Casey-Knight 020 7074 3306 or 07881 957305, Niall Smith 020 7074 3304 or 07767 770309, or Ruth Kennedy 020 7074 3312 or 07884 47 3086. For out of hours media enquiries, please call the Duty Press Officer on 07880 500726.
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