Professor Steve Field, Chair of the NHS Future Forum, asks how can we make sure that patients, public and NHS staff know about the NHS Constitution and understand what it means
For me, the NHS Constitution represents the very heart of the National Health Service. It sets out the fundamental principles and values that guide the NHS in all it does.
For the first time, it brings together in one place what staff, patients and the public can expect from the NHS in England. It’s there to protect the NHS, to empower patients and NHS staff, and to make sure the NHS will always do the things it was set up to do. If you haven’t already, I do urge you to read it for yourself.
So, what are those principles and values? Well, most fundamentally, it makes clear that the NHS is there for us all, no matter who we are, where in England we live, or how much we earn. As you’d expect, there’s a commitment to quality care and to achieving the highest standards of excellence and professionalism. But the NHS Constitution goes further. It puts patients at the centre of everything the NHS does.
The NHS touches our lives at times of basic human need. Most of us will use some of its services at some point. For all of us, as patients or potential patients, the NHS Constitution spells out our formal right to:
• be treated with dignity and respect
• be involved in discussions and decisions about our healthcare
• make choices about the care we receive, with the right information to make those choices.
For those of us working in the NHS, it sustains the ways we work together for patients. I spend part of my time as an inner-city GP. So, for me, that means making sure everyone who comes to my surgery has the proper care and the best experience. But the Constitution also supports how I work with other health professionals. It’s there to help us, as together we design and plan the very best services for the wider communities we serve.
I feel privileged to have played a part in putting the NHS Constitution together three years ago. But there’s much more that could be done. The Government wants to make the Constitution as strong as possible, now and for the future.
As well as working as a GP, I also chair the NHS Future Forum, an independent group of patient representatives, doctors, nurses and other health professionals. Back in June, I wrote to the Health Secretary on behalf of the Forum, making clear how important we feel the Constitution is. I also emphasised the need to raise awareness of it. Around a quarter of the public and half of NHS staff know it exists.
There’s little evidence people are using it to ensure their expectations are met. That needs to change. More needs to be done to increase the profile of the Constitution. The Government recognises this, and has now asked us to help think about ways of strengthening the Constitution.
Over the next couple of months, we are going out and about, speaking and listening to people. We want to understand what they think about the Constitution, what it means to them and what we can do to improve it further. We’ll be talking to patients and the organisations who represent them, to the public, to NHS staff and their professional bodies and to unions. I’ll be continuing that conversation, and asking questions, through Twitter. If you’re interested, please follow me on @ProfSteveField.
So, what part does this blog play in all of this? It’s an opportunity for me and some of my fellow Future Forum members to tell you what we think about the NHS Constitution over the next few weeks. It’s also your chance to have an informal conversation with us about it.
Later this year the Government will be undertaking a consultation about ways in which we can strengthen the Constitution. Members of the public will be able to respond formally. We’ll keep you informed about this.
So, here’s my first question to get the conversation going. It’s our NHS and our Constitution. How can we make sure that everyone in England – patients, public and NHS staff – knows that it exists and understands what it means? I look forward to hearing your views.