RCN comments on new NHS mandate

Published: 13 November 2012

The Royal College of Nursing today commented on the launch of the mandate on the NHS Commissioning Board.

RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary Dr Peter Carter said: “The NHS is in the process of large scale structural change and we welcome the publication of a full mandate setting out what the aspirations of the NHS and how the Commissioning Board will serve patients. 

“We hope that it will be a meaningful and usable set of principles that embodies the purpose of the service so that it is fit to meet its considerable challenges. We believe that it is right for the NHS to be ambitious, and to aspire to extend lives and improve mental as well as physical health. The commitment to improve quality is also very welcome.”

Dr Carter added: “We also support the mandate’s enshrining of the friends and family test first set out by the Prime Minister in January, though this will not improve care on its own. The mandate recognises that staff need support in order to provide the care to which we all aspire.

"Our members are acutely aware of the significant pressures they face to keep delivering patient care in the face of real cutbacks. While we welcome the accountability which this mandate sets out, it is important that it does not add to the burden of paperwork and administration which takes nurses, doctors, and other clinical staff away from direct patient care.”