NHS Final Report To Coincide With 60th Anniversary

UK hospital patient's biggest fear is not of the surgeon's knife, or of a fiery matron, but these days focus on the possibility of picking up an infection.

According to a BBC poll, of the 1,040 people questioned, 40% listed the risk of contracting deadly infections such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile as their "biggest concern".

The news comes as Prime Minister Gordon Brown attempts to deflect criticism of his year-long leadership by turning instead to new NHS reform plans to make it "one of the world's best health systems".

Timed for the NHS celebrating its 60th anniversary this week, Mr Brown has said in the foreword of Lord Ara Darzi's final report into the future of the National Health Service, that the NHS would undergo "profound" change to renew itself for the 21st Century.

Mr Brown will highlight the release of the report, 'High Quality Care For all', on a visit to Leatherhead Community Hospital with Lord Darzi this morning.

"We need a more personalised NHS, responsive to each of us as individuals, focused on prevention, better equipped to keep us healthy and capable of giving us real control and real choices over our care and our lives.

"Lord Darzi's report is a tremendous opportunity to build an NHS which provides truly world class services for all. It requires government to be serious about reform, committed to trusting front-line staff and ready to invest in new services and new ways of delivering services."

The NHS said that the report will set a new foundation for a health service that "empowers" staff and gives patients information and choice, and "ensures health care that is personalised, safe and high quality for all".

The report comes after a culmination of nine months consultation and engagement with NHS staff, patients and stakeholder groups.

Over 2000 clinicians took part in identifying what good care looked like in eight different areas.

The draft NHS constitution, and a further document around workforce, planning, education and training (WPETS) will also be launched today and then be available on the NHS website.

However, the Governments 'deep clean' programme has been dismissed as a "political stunt".

The Tories say that "worrying" figures revealed that only a small number of NHS trusts in England were using all the cleaning products recommended by the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has accused Gordon Brown of "grandstanding" and only being concerned with headlines.

Research conducted by the Tories found that 85% of hospitals did not use hydrogen peroxide vapour in their deep clean and 16% of hospitals did not use chlorine.

Mr Lansley said "these worrying figures expose Gordon Brown's deep clean as "nothing more than a political stunt".

"If he really cared about reducing infections he would have made sure it was carried out properly and the right products were used," he said.

The British Medical Association said in a statement: "We hope that the publication of the final review reports will mark the beginning of a much-needed period of stability for the NHS, which will allow time for the service to get to grips with the many changes and rreforms that have been introduced in recent years.

"Producing an NHS that is professionally led, in partnership with patients, and that truly aspires to the excellence in quality care we all wish to deliver is a prize worth chasing."

(DS)