Via Department of Health press release, 12 July 2010
The White Paper ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS’ details how power will be devolved from Whitehall to patients and professionals.
The White Paper asserts that professionals will be free to focus on improving health outcomes and patients will get more choice and control.
Under the new plans, patients will be able to choose which GP practice they register with, regardless of where they live, and choose between consultant-led teams. More comprehensive and transparent information, such as patients’ own ratings, will help them make these choices together with healthcare professionals.
Groups of GPs will be given freedom and responsibility for commissioning care for their local communities. Providers of services will have new freedoms and they will be more accountable. There will be greater competition in the NHS and greater cooperation. Services will be more joined up, supported by a new role for Local Authorities to support integration across health and social care.
The Department of Health is consulting on elements of these proposals. Details on how to respond can be found in the White Paper.
- Download White Paper: Equity and excellence liberating the NHS (PDF, 720K)
- Download analytical strategy for the White Paper and associated documents (PDF, 117K)
- Download initial equality impact assessment (PDF, 150K)
- Secretary of State’s statement to the House of Commons, 12 July 2010
- Press release, 12 July 2010