NHS is improving but more effort is needed, says report

The NHS is experiencing genuine improvement but more effort is needed to put patients first, according to an assessment by health professionals and patient representatives.

The annual report of the NHS Modernisation Board, 'Caring in Many Ways', found that across the NHS there are now different and better services than four years ago, as a result of changes in attitude and culture since the introduction of the NHS Plan.

Reductions in waiting lists, accessibility of services, the extent of new facilities, and the development of new ways of delivering services, were highlighted by the report as areas which have seen much improvement.

However the Modernisation Board said that there was "still much more to do" before these changes are experienced by everyone across the country.

The report found that the NHS "now faces a tough challenge" to put patients at the centre of care, and providing more convenient, responsive and local services.

This will mean a shift in emphasis towards treating patients in the community rather than in hospital, helping people manage chronic diseases and long-term conditions at home, and encouraging everyone to embrace a healthy lifestyle, the report concluded.

Members of the Modernisation Board have spent the last 12 months looking at services through the eyes of patients to see whether the investment put in by the government was making a difference.

On their behalf Dr Jenny Simpson, of the British Association of Medical Managers, said: "We found encouraging evidence reflecting that shift in the approach to care.

"There is, however, a long way to go before everyone, everywhere, is receiving the kind of treatment we would want for our families and ourselves. The improvements we have witnessed in hospitals and in traditional primary care settings are transforming the NHS, but the next step we want to see will be a further shift in the provision of services outside hospitals so patients and the public are able to access care more conveniently and locally."

Health Secretary John Reid said that the report showed that the patient-centred NHS was "drawing visibly closer".

He added: "However, I know there is more to be done to ensure that the changes identified in the Board's report are felt by all people, wherever and whenever they access our health system."

The NHS Modernisation Board is a group of senior health and social care professionals, front-line staff, managers and patient representatives who meet with the Secretary of State every three months to discuss progress and guide priorities.

This is the first time an independent group representing the many different interests involved in health and social services has had an influence over health policy and its implementation.

(gmcg)