Health Secretary Andrew Lansley's first speech
HEALTH SECRETARY SETS OUT AMBITION FOR A CULTURE OF PATIENT
SAFETY IN THE NHS
In his first speech since taking up the post, the Health
Secretary, Andrew Lansley, said he would put his heart and soul
into the improvement of health outcomes by making patients the
driving force of improvements to the NHS. Not just as beneficiaries
of care but as participants, with shared decision-making.
As part of his broader plans to align payments with the quality
of patient care, the Health Secretary said that hospitals should be
responsible for reducing the number of emergency readmissions
following treatment, and support treatment at home, as part of a
single payment. Making hospitals responsible for a patient’s
ongoing care after discharge will create more joined-up working
between hospitals and community services. This will improve quality
and performance and shift the focus to the outcome for the patient,
rather than the volume of activity paid to the hospital.
Speaking to an audience of patients, carers and staff at an
event at the Bromley by Bow Centre in London, hosted by the
Patients Association and National Voices, the Health Secretary
challenged the NHS to:
make a cultural shift. From a culture responsive mainly to
orders from the top-down, to one responsive to patients, in which
patient safety is put first.
devolve power through the unleashing of meaningful information
to patients. Comparative data about standards and patient
experience will drive up standards, as the data will influence
patient choice. A transparent NHS is a safer NHS.
engage people in their care so that, “no decision is made about
me, without me”, and give patients the opportunity to provide
feedback in real time, reflecting the experience of their care.
embrace leadership by setting NHS professionals free from a
target-centred and bureaucratic system that compromises patient
care, to one focussed on the quality, innovation, productivity and
safety required to improve patient outcomes.
adopt a holistic approach by looking at the entire patient
pathway from preventative health and well-being measures, through
to hospital and community care.
align payments in the NHS to drive up the quality of care that
patients receive. In the first instance, through introducing
payments which encapsulate a more integrated care pathway by giving
hospitals responsibility for a patient’s care for 30 days after
they are discharged.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said:
“My ambition is for health outcomes and health services to be as
good as any in the world. The previous government’s bureaucratic
approach of perpetual interference, coupled with the imposition of
top-down process targets, has failed patients. It has left us
lagging behind our European counterparts on outcomes that matter to
patients, such as how long they will survive after a cancer
diagnosis.
“We need a cultural shift in the NHS. From a culture responsive
mainly to orders from the top-down, to one responsive to patients,
in which patient safety is put first. This can only be achieved if
patients are put in the driving seat and are informed and engaged
in the delivery of their care. That way the NHS will be focussed on
what matters to patients – safe, reliable, effective care for each
patient, and the best outcomes for all patients.”
Jeremy Taylor, Chief Executive of National Voices said:
“Culture shift is the key challenge for the NHS. Despite
significant improvements in recent years, there has been too much
management by fear, too much inertia from professional vested
interests, and too little opportunity for patients and families to
be heard. National Voices calls for an open, human, responsive and
collaborative culture that puts people first. Incentives play an
important part in this but we need to understand the whole mix of
carrots and sticks, and we look forward to seeing more detail from
the government.”
Katherine Murphy, Director of the Patients Association said:
"We have always campaigned for patient safety to be at the
forefront of services and withholding payment to fix poor outcomes
and giving patients more information to help them make informed
decisions about their care are significant steps towards this. We
welcome a much greater emphasis on the patient experience and a
focus on patient needs and helping patients play a bigger role in
shaping their health service."
Further proposals to implement the vision for the NHS will be
published soon. These will not be top-down reforms – the local NHS
will be empowered to work with doctors and nurses to make the
changes they need to improve the quality of patient care.
– Ends –
Notes to editors:
1. For media enquiries only please contact the Department of
Health press office on 020 7210 5221.
2. A full transcript of the speech is available at
www.dh.gov.uk
3. The Patients Association is an independent charity that
highlights the concerns and needs of patients. It works with
Government and a broad range of individuals and organisations to
develop better, and more responsive, health services.
4. National Voices is a coalition of more than 200 national
charities, campaigning for a stronger voice for patients, service
users and families in health and social care.
5. The Bromley by Bow Centre is an innovative community
organisation in East London. Working in one of the most deprived
wards in the UK, each week it supports families, young people and
adults of all ages to learn new skills, improve their health and
wellbeing, find employment and develop the confidence to achieve
their goals and transform their lives.
