Hewitt sets out plans for future reform

Amongst her announcements were indications that financial reforms would continue to tackle deficits and ensure better value for money, and also that fairer funding would go to deprived areas, enabling GPs in the areas of the greatest health inequalities to commission services to improve health outcomes and reduce inequalities in these areas. Continued use will also be made of the independent sector to achieve waiting list reductions.

Patricia Hewitt stated: “The next 24 months will determine what kind of NHS we will have for the next 20 years. While some parts of the NHS are world-beaters, the NHS as a whole is not. It still fails too many people, especially the poorest, most vulnerable and most in need. That’s why we need a second stage transformation, giving patients better service as well as better value for money.

“We can’t achieve these goals through national targets and command and control. We need to ensure that the system itself has the right incentives for continuous improvement and better value for money embedded into it.”