National Voices welcomes the newly-signed NHS Constitution
National Voices welcomes the newly-signed NHS Constitution as a step in the right direction
Today’s signing of the NHS Constitution has been welcomed by National Voices, the organisation established by and for the national voluntary organisations representing users of health and social care in England.
The Constitution sets out the rights of patients, public and staff together with their responsibilities. It also outlines the pledges which the NHS is committed to achieve. National Voices believes that the Constitution is a step towards a modern NHS and has the potential to bring about a fundamental improvement in the relationship between the NHS and the people it serves.
National Voices speaks on behalf of 21st century service users who want to deal with an NHS that recognises and respects their needs, their preferences, and their lives. As such, the Constitution is a recognition that truly effective healthcare results from the sharing of responsibility between those caring and those being cared for.
However, the Constitution will help only if it succeeds in establishing the basis for a new relationship between the NHS and the people it serves: both at the individual and at the community level. Implementation and communication will be key to making this work.
David Pink, Chief Executive, National Voices said: “The NHS Constitution could be seen as a gimmick, or as a party political manoeuvre. However, I think it has huge potential for patients and the public. Sixty years on from the founding of the NHS we need a different relationship with our health service, one that makes clear how the NHS will meet the expectations of patients, the public and its staff. It is no longer enough for the government to set the funding and for patients to be grateful for the care they get from doctors and nurses. We need a service that listens and responds to the needs of the people it serves. Modern healthcare is all about partnership; the Constitution could help build new partnerships between the NHS, patients and communities.”
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Notes to editors:
1. National Voices is the new umbrella organisation established by and for the national voluntary organisations representing users of health and social care in England to give them a stronger voice in policy-making. National Voices works with policy-makers in Westminster and Whitehall to make sure that the voices of patients, carers and service users are heard and that their diverse needs and preferences are genuinely placed at the heart of policy development. In doing this National Voices will ensure that the views of the people who use health and social care services are heard by the people who shape and provide those services.
2. National Voices Chief Executive David Pink and board members Douglas Smallwood and Sally Brearley sat on the Constitution Advisory Forum. They provided valuable contributions to the draft Constitution and were heavily involved in helping to deliver the final document.
For media enquiries please contact:
Julian Tyndale-Biscoe, InHealth Communications, on 07882 985597 (julian.tb@inhealthcomms.com)
Further information is available at www.dh.gov.uk/nhsconstitution
