King's Fund: Good news for patients

The King's Fund health thinktank has described the Next Stage Review as "good news for patients", but warned that it will take a lot of work to turn promises into reality.

In particular the group welcomed the fact that Lord Darzi's review did not include plans for structural change.

"Instead the report is a sensible set of measures to improve quality and equity, and a clear signal that responsibility for shaping and leading health services lies with staff at local level," commented Niall Dickson, chief executive of the King's Fund.

He added that plans for GPs and hospitals to be held to account for the outcomes from the care they provide will bring in a "new era in which patients will be able to check on the quality of the services they are being offered".

Mr Dickson called for a decentralised health service with less central control and for local organisations to be responsible for how care is delivered and its quality.

He warned that the Next Stage Review has "two significant omissions".

"There are no estimates of how much all this will cost and no indication of just how different the government expects the quality of health services to be in five or ten years time," Mr Dickson explained.

"Some of the answers lie in the regional plans but an overall view of how far and how fast the government expects the NHS to change would be helpful."

On the NHS constitution, Mr Dickson said it could deliver "real benefits to patients".

"It provides a positive statement of patients' rights and how they can exercise them, as well as what services the public can expect to receive," he added.

"The constitution enshrines the right of patients to choose where and how they are treated and will help people take greater control of their own health care. For choice not to be meaningless patients will need robust information to ensure they can make informed choices."