Revitalising the NHS Constitution

The culture reported at Mid Staffordshire Hospital and which may be present in a few other NHS hospitals, will influence many of the political post-Francis actions, which we shall see over the next few months. Already underway, from December last year, was a review of the NHS Constitution to take account of the reforms, which will be followed by a further review relating to the observations and recommendations made by Francis. Robert Francis QC wrote that the NHS Constitution should be the first reference point for all NHS patients and staff and should set out the system’s values, and the rights and obligations and expectations of patients. He recommended that the core values expressed in the NHS Constitution should be given priority and the overriding value should be that patients are put first – everything done by the NHS and everyone associated with it should be informed of this ethos.1

NHS Constitution

The NHS Constitution has applied to the NHS and health services in England since its launch in 2009. It arose from the wide focus group discussions held by Lord D’Arzi as part of the NHS Next Stage Review High Quality Care for all,2 and was the first time that the principles, values, rights and responsibilities that underpin the NHS had been put together in a single document. It sets out the enduring character of the NHS as a comprehensive and equitable health service; and it empowers patients, staff and the public to know and exercise their rights in order to help drive improvements in the services that the NHS provides.3