Speakers' abstracts
Darzi review: what does it mean for the nursing community?
Thomas S, Policy Advisor, Long Term Conditions, RCN
In the 60th Anniversary week of the NHS, the Department of Health for England published the final report on the Next Stage Review of the NHS, High Quality Care for All. Additional reports, the draft NHS Constitution and NHS workforce and primary and community care services will provide the foundation for the NHS for the next 10 years. The review has been undertaken by Health Minister Lord Ara Darzi and has involved a number of high profile events, consultations and discussions undertaken both nationally in England and at Strategic Health Authority level. Those consulted have included NHS staff, patients and patient groups. The final report links into the nine Strategic Health Authority (SHA) documents published earlier this year which set out the local vision for health care needs within each SHA. The report's key premise is the transformation of the NHS into a system of care provision that is clinically led, patient-centred and locally determined. Underpinning this theme are three areas for improvement or change:
- Improving the quality and safety of patient care
- The placement of patient choice as a major determinant of treatment options
- To ensure that patient choice is given due account in service provision. This is to be given recognition by being enshrined in an NHS Constitution
The main thrust of the document is a need to ensure there is high quality of care throughout the NHS and that reforms made over the last ten years throughout the NHS are used as building blocks for the future, beginning in hospital and moving into primary care. The report reinforces that the NHS must ensure it is equipped to face the increasing challenges that are with us now and predicted to rise. These are driven by demographics and the changing nature of disease. There are no new targets or reorganisation in this Review and the language within the document uses words like kindness, dignity and care. There is a recommendation to increase investment in nurse education and training. And, that in the future the NHS will have a culture where nurse leaders are supported and empowered to effect meaningful change. This session will detail the implications of the Darzi report for MS nurse specialists and what changes to practice this review might bring about.
All of the NHS Next Stage Review can be found at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/OurNHSourfuture/index.htm
The draft NHS Constitution can be found at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_085812