13.11.13
‘Refreshed’ mandate removes unnecessary requirements
The Government has published its refreshed mandate to NHS England.
It is structured around five key areas; preventing people from dying prematurely; enhancing quality of life for people with long-term conditions; helping people to recover from ill-health or injury; ensuring people have a positive experience of care; treating and caring for people in a safe environment; and protecting them from avoidable harm.
The key objectives will see NHS England charged to improve standards of care; better diagnosis, treatment and care for people with dementia; better maternity care; the roll-out of the Friends and Family test for better feedback; and the ability to book appointments online by 2015.
The mandate will also ensure mental health is given the same priority as physical health; prevent premature deaths from the biggest killers; and provide information for patients about local trusts’ performance.
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “Never in its long history has the NHS faced such rapid change in our healthcare needs, from caring for an older population, to managing the cost of better treatments, to seizing the opportunities of new technology.
“This Mandate is about giving the NHS the right priorities to deal with those challenges. By focusing on what matters to patients, and giving doctors and other professionals the freedom to deliver, we will make sure the NHS stays relevant to our needs and continues providing the best possible care for us all.”
Matt Tee, chief operating officer of the NHS Confederation, welcomed the revised version, which saw “unnecessary operational additions” removed.
He said: “We welcome the refreshed mandate's focus on strengthening local autonomy, so that NHS organisations are free to innovate and develop new ways of working that drive improvements in patient care.
“We are also particularly pleased to note that today's publication shows the Government has taken on board the critical importance of integrated out-of-hospital care to implementing the vulnerable older people's plan. We have said all along that this cannot deliver improvements through primary care alone, and it is good to see this has been heard and acted upon.”
Jenny Edwards CBE, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said the renewed focus on parity of esteem was particularly welcome.
“As well as ‘parity’ in waiting times and standards, funding for services and for mental health research is currently disproportionate to the number of people affected by mental distress.
“It is encouraging to see the commitment to real progress made to improve crisis services and to see them working in partnership with the services that often receive people in crisis by default.”
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