Public+Services+-+health+services+-+NHS+core+principles

=**The NHS Core Principles**=

The Government and all key associations of health professionals, have signed up to //‘////support these principles, and commit ourselves to a modernised NHS on the basis of these principles’// [Dept of Health website, 2006]

· **The NHS will provide a universal service for all based on clinical need, not ability to pay** · **The NHS will provide a comprehensive range of services** · **The NHS will shape its services around the needs and preferences of individual patients, their families and their carers** · **The NHS will respond to the different needs of different populations** · **The NHS will work continuously to improve quality services and to minimise errors** · **The NHS will support and value its staff** · **Public funds for healthcare will be devoted solely to NHS patients** · **The NHS will work together with others to ensure a seamless service for patients** · **The NHS will help to keep people healthy and work to reduce health inequalities** · **The NHS will respect the confidentiality of individual patients and provide open access to information about services, treatment and performance**


 * 1. The NHS will provide a universal service for all based on clinical need, not ability to pay** Healthcare is a basic human right. Unlike private systems, the NHS will not exclude people because of their health status or ability to pay.


 * 2. The NHS will provide a comprehensive range of services** The NHS will provide access to a comprehensive range of services throughout primary and community healthcare, intermediate care and hospital-based care. The NHS will also provide information services and support to individuals in relation to health promotion, disease prevention, self-care, rehabilitation and after care.


 * 3. The NHS will shape its services around the needs and preferences of individual patients, their families and their carers** The NHS of the 21st century must be responsive to the needs of different groups and individuals within society and challenge discrimination on the grounds of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability and sexuality. The NHS will treat patients as individuals, with respect for their dignity. Patients and citizens will have a greater say in the NHS and the provision of services will be centred on patients' needs.


 * 4. The NHS will respond to the different needs of different populations** Health services will continue to be funded nationally and available to all citizens of the UK. Within this framework, the NHS must also be responsive to the different needs of different populations in the devolved nations and throughout the regions and localities. Efforts will continually be made to reduce unjustified variations and raise standards to achieve a truly national health service.


 * 5. The NHS will work continuously to improve quality services and to minimise errors** The NHS will ensure that services are driven by a cycle of continuous quality improvement. Quality will not just be restricted to the clinical aspects of care but include quality of life and the entire patient experience. Healthcare organisations and professions will establish ways to identify procedures that should be modified or abandoned and new practices that will lead to improved patient care. All those providing care will work to make it ever safer and support a culture where we can learn from and effectively reduce mistakes. The NHS will continuously improve its efficiency, productivity and performance.


 * 6. The NHS will support and value its staff** The strength of the NHS lies in its staff, whose skills, expertise and dedication underpin all that it does. They have the right to be treated with respect and dignity. The NHS will continue to support, recognise, reward and invest in individuals and organisations, providing opportunities for individual staff to progress in their careers and encouraging education, training and personal development. Professionals and organisations will have opportunities and responsibilities to exercise their judgement within the context of nationally-agreed policies and standards.


 * 7. Public funds for healthcare will be devoted solely to NHS patients** The NHS is funded out of public expenditure, primarily by taxation. This is a fair and efficient means for raising funds for healthcare services. Individuals will remain free to spend their own money as they see fit but public funds will be devoted solely to NHS patients.


 * 8. The NHS will work together with others to ensure a seamless service for patients** The health and social care system must be shaped around the needs of patients not the other way round. The NHS will develop partnerships and co-operation at all levels of care - between patients, their carers, families and NHS staff; between the health and social care sector; between different government departments; between the public sector, voluntary organisations and private providers in the provision of NHS services - to ensure a patient-centred service.


 * 9. The NHS will help to keep people healthy and work to reduce health inequalities** The NHS will focus efforts on preventing, as well as treating ill health. Recognising that good health also depends upon social, environmental and economic factors such as deprivation, housing, education and nutrition, the NHS will work with other public services to intervene not just after but before ill health occurs. It will work with others to reduce health inequalities.


 * 10. The NHS will respect the confidentiality of individual patients and provide open access to information about services, treatment and performance** Patient confidentiality will be respected throughout the process of care. The NHS will be open with information about health and healthcare services. It will continue to use information to improve the quality of services for all and to generate new knowledge about future medical benefits. Developments in science, such as the new genetics, offer important possibilities for disease prevention and treatment in the future. As a national service, the NHS is well-placed to take advantage of the opportunities offered by scientific developments and will ensure that new technologies are harnessed and developed in the interests of society as a whole and available to all on the basis of need.

Prof Sir George Alberti, President, Royal College of Physicians of London Barry Jackson, President, Royal College of Surgeons of England Prof Mike Pringle, President, Royal College of General Practitioners Dr Ian Bogle, Chairman of Council, British Medical Association Stephen Thornton, Chief Executive, NHS Confederation Dr Michael Dixon, Chairman, NHS Alliance Christine Hancock, General Secretary, Royal College of Nursing Bob Abberley, Head of Health, UNISON Karlene Davis, General Secretary, Royal College of Midwives Dr Jenny Simpson, Chief Executive, British Association of Medical Managers Sir Jeremy Beecham, Chair, Local Government Association Harry Cayton, Chief Executive, Alzheimer's Society Dr Peter Smith, Chair, National Association of Primary Care Rabbi Julia Neuberger, Chief Executive, Kings Fund Prof James McEwen, President, Faculty of Public Health Medicine Natalie Beswetherick, Chair, Allied Health Professions Forum Melinda Letts, Chairwoman, Long Term Medical Conditions Alliance Barbara Meredith, Policy and Communications Manager, Age Concern London and The Patients Forum Delyth Morgan, Chief Executive, Breakthrough Breast Cancer Diana Whitworth, Chief Executive, Carers National Association Eoin Redahan, Director of Public Relations, The Stroke Association Bob Gann, Director, The Help for Health Trust Paul Richard Streets, Chief Executive, Diabetes UK Sir Alexander Macara, Chairman, National Heart Forum Sir Nicholas Young, Chief Executive, Macmillan Cancer Relief