RCN responds to Lord Darzi's rules for change in the NHS
Published: 09 May 2008
Health minister, Lord Darzi, today issued a report that sets out the ground rules for how the NHS will handle changes to services. The process will require any change to be transparent, clinically evidenced, locally led and for the benefit of patients.
Responding to Lord Darzi's report, Dr. Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said:
“The RCN has said from the start that if Lord Darzi’s Review is to be long-lasting and successful it needs to be patient-centred, clinically driven and locally led. The change principles published today by Lord Darzi are a welcome development, which suggest that the Government are taking onboard the concerns of frontline staff.
Today's 'Leading local change' report comes ahead of Lord Darzi's final report on the next stage of NHS reform.
Dr Carter commented that:
“Whilst it is right to tailor local services to the needs of local communities, the public rightly expect the NHS to provide free access to healthcare, regardless of location. The Government need to ensure that ‘locally-led’ doesn’t mean ‘postcode lottery’. The RCN will seek reassurance from Lord Darzi that these rules are adhered to during the Next Stage Review process and beyond.”