Healthcare merger plans proposed
Government proposed merger of healthcare systems
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Monday, 27, Nov 2006 05:59
Proposals to merge the three organisations responsible for regulating healthcare, adult social care and the operation of the Mental Health Act into one regulator have been released for consultation today by the Department of Health (DoH).
As the third document in a series about health reform in England, the consultation paper describes how independent regulation will support changes which the DoH describes as "a radical shift from top-down, target driven performance management to a more bottom-up, self-improving system".
The proposals include how the roles and functions of the new regulator would work.
In the foreword to the report, health secretary Patricia Hewitt said: "Bringing together the regulation of NHS and adult social care services will have many benefits.
"It makes sense to patients and service users who want integrated services. to service providers who want simple, less burdensome regulation. and to commissioners who want jointly to commission health and adult social care services. And it makes sense to the taxpayer who wants regulation to offer value for money."
Welcoming the consultation document, Sir Ian Kennedy, chairman of the Healthcare Commission, said that the proposed changes give providers "the level playing field that they have been asking for" and patients "a single assurance on safety and quality regardless of where they go for treatment".
He added: "This document rightly recognises the value of independent regulation of health and social care. It clearly moves us further in the right direction in ensuring that regulation works in tandem with other changes in health and social care to promote better outcomes and experiences for all those affected."
People working in health and adult social care and patients and service users who are interested in how the reforms are going to improve the services they use can access the DoH paper on its website and are able to comment on the proposals until February 28th 2007.