In response to the Francis report, the Government is launching plans to ensure that patients are always put first and people are treated with respect. Patients First and Foremost sets out a collective commitment and plan of action for the whole health and care system and everyone who works in it.
The plans include: new Ofsted-style ratings for hospitals, overseen by an independent chief inspector; a statutory duty of candour for organisations which provide care; and a review by the NHS Confederation on how to reduce the bureaucratic burden on frontline staff by a third. Other actions include: a pilot programme which will see nurses working for up to a year as a healthcare assistant as a prerequisite for receiving funding for their degree; nurses’ skills being revalidated, as doctors’ are now; and a code of conduct and minimum training standards for healthcare support workers. The response is accompanied by a statement of common purpose signed by the chairs of key organisations across the health and care system. It renews and reaffirms the commitment to the values of the NHS, as set out in the NHS Constitution, and includes pledges to work together for patients, always treat patients and their families with compassion, dignity and respect, to listen to patients and to act on feedback. The Government has also published a revised NHS Constitution following a recent public consultation. It is likely there will be a further consultation later in the year on further changes to the constitution, with the aim of incorporating further recommendations made by Robert Francis QC in his report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry.
