NHS chief puts high-quality patient care at top of agenda
NHS Chief Executive Sir Nigel Crisp is urging boards to ask searching questions about their fitness for delivering high-quality patient care - in a truly patient centred NHS which also gives value for money.
NHS Chief Executive Sir Nigel Crisp is urging boards to ask searching questions about their fitness for delivering high-quality patient care - in a truly patient centred NHS which also gives value for money.
Stressing that reforms such as payment by results, practice-based commissioning and NHS foundation trusts would provide a real opportunity to align financial incentives and service responsibilities, he said; "To make the most of this opportunity to improve the services we offer to patients, Boards have a huge responsibility to question whether their organisations have the robust systems in place to manage their finances, as well as the right people in place, with the right training and the right strategic direction."
These reforms are being introduced against a backdrop of unprecedented sustained growth in NHS funding with the resources more than doubling from £30 billion ten years ago to £70bn this year, and reaching £90bn by 2007-2008.
Sir Nigel added: "The extra resources provide NHS senior leaders with a unique opportunity to transform the NHS but with this comes the responsibility for delivering the maximum return on each pound spent. Non-executive directors are uniquely positioned to support this using their external perspective to continually challenge their organisations' efficient and effective use of resources. That has not always happened in the past and some of the major financial failures in the NHS have been due to poor board supervision of their organisations."
"I want to see Boards in the future paying much more attention to building reputation - to promoting rather than reacting. This is as true for PCTs as for NHS trusts and foundation trusts. It is not about issuing press releases after the event and keeping head down. It is about being in continuing contact with stakeholders and local people and alerting them to potential problems or celebrating improvements."
