Website of the Department of Health

A consultation on the NHS Constitution

The proposed NHS Constitution published today, marking 60 years of the NHS, is about safeguarding its core principles and values for the next generation, whilst setting a clear direction for the future. It reaffirms rights to NHS services, free of charge and with equal access for all, and it enshrines patient rights to choice and to NICE-approved drugs recommended by clinicians.

It aims to empower both staff and patients, containing clear pledges on the ways in which the NHS will strive to go beyond the stated rights to improve the working environment. It has been developed from the bottom up, with the active engagement of staff, patients and the public.

We are consulting widely on its contents and how to put it into practice, until 17 October 2008.

Please see below the draft Constitution and the consultation document, along with leaflets and booklets explaining more.