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National Standards, Local Action: Health and Social Care Standards and Planning Framework 2005/06-2007/08

  • Document type:
    Publication
  • Author:
    Department of Health
  • Published date:
    21 July 2004
  • Primary audience:
    Chief Executives,Finance,Care services,Professionals
  • Product number:
    40366
  • Gateway reference:
    3533
  • Pages:
    48
  • Copyright holder:
    Crown

This document sets out a standard-based planning framework for health and social care and standards for NHS health care to be used in planning, commissioning and delivering services. It covers the core and development standards covering NHS health care and the health and social care planning framework and targets for 2005-2008

This document sets out the framework for all National Health Service (NHS) organisations and social service authorities to use in planning over the next financial three years. It looks to Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and Local Authorities (LAs) to lead community partnership by even closer joint working to take forward the NHS Improvement Plan. Building on joint work on Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs), they will need to work in partnership with other NHS organisations in preparing Local Delivery Plans  (LDPs) for the period 2005/06 to 2007/08.

The NHS Improvement Plan, published in June 2004, set out the next stage of the Government's plans for the modernisation of the health service. It signalled three big shifts:

  • putting patients and service users first through more personalised care;
  • a focus on the whole of health and well-being, not only illness; and
  • further devolution of decision-making to local organisations.

All this requires much greater joint working and partnership between PCTs, LAs, NHS  Foundation Trusts, NHS Trusts, independent sector and voluntary organisations. This is happening in many parts of the country, but needs to be made more consistent.

A parallel shift is now required in the way improvements in people's health and care are planned and delivered. This means moving away from a system that is mainly driven by national targets to one in which:

  • standards are the main driver for continuous improvements in quality;
  • there are fewer national targets;
  • there is greater scope for addressing local priorities;
  • incentives are in place to support the system; and
  • all organisations locally play their part in service modernisation.

This document describes this new system.

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