Pegasus post

New NHS whitepaper sets out the course for change

Posted by LauraJ in Health news No comments»

Everyone with an interest in the NHS (which should surely be the whole country in one way or another) has been on tenderhooks to see what the new coalition government has planned for its future. But few will have anticipated such radical moves as those presented by Andrew Lansley yesterday – billed as the biggest shake-up of the NHS for 60 years (and it’s only 62!).

Speaking as an ex-NHS employee who experienced the first internal market era during the previous Conservative administration, the focus on reinforcing principles of competition between providers and expediting the decentralisation of hospital services through the foundation trust scheme is not a surprise. But the plans outlined in ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS’ are significantly more far-reaching and complex than this. Indeed, many commentators have already criticised the plans as being too radical at a time, they say, when smaller-scale efficiency savings and stabilisation are what’s needed to help keep the country afloat. The abolition of the current commissioning structures driven by Primary Care Trusts and overseen by Strategic Health Authorities, with power handed instead to groups of GPs as a move to bring decision making even closer to the front-line, seems to have the support of organisations like the BMA, but huge investment will be required – not least on the part of GPs, in terms of both skill and mindset. And let’s not forget about the wealth of other healthcare professionals – pharmacists, midwives, hospital consultants, nurses – who have an equally valuable contribution to make in facilitating access to the best information, services and advice.

Whatever your views on the economic and political arguments, though, you can’t argue with the sentiment behind the plans – aiming to put the patient at the centre. This has long been a universal ambition for the NHS, as a more participatory society has evolved, mainly thanks to the advent of the worldwide web and the strength of the patient advocacy movement in the UK. However efforts to truly engage all patients are a tall order – the most vulnerable patients who are arguably in most need but find participation difficult are at risk of being missed out or left behind, and good quality information is often lacking even for those who are searching for it. These are issues that must be addressed if the pursuit for a more patient-led NHS is to be realised. And it must of course be done without increasing levels of bureaucracy and diverting resources from the front-line.

Whilst some may have hoped for a more manageable action plan, the one fact is that the need for communications expertise – for those delivering services in the NHS, and those providing a service to the NHS – has never been so strong. Whether it is helping patients to navigate the system and access the right information at the right time, supporting the shifting web of influencers and decision makers to talk to each other, or ensuring access to the latest innovations in medicine and health technology, healthcare communicators will have their work cut out. Bring it on!

By Jo Spadaccino, Head of Pharma & Life Sciences