Health Foundation receives recognition for its work by new Secretary of State for Health

In his speech delivered at the Bromley-by-Bow centre on 8 June 2010, Andrew Lansley spoke directly about several pieces of work that the Health Foundation has been part of.

He spoke of a report commissioned by the Health Foundation, Does improving quality save money? by John Ovretveit. The report reviewed the evidence to answer whether improving quality can also help to address the need for costs to be saved. The research found that initiatives to improve quality could make an important contribution but limited contribution to addressing the financial pressures in the NHS.

He also spoke of the Clinical Human Factors Group which is working with the NHS to advise and build a safety culture. The Group is led by Martin Bromiley (a pilot who lost his wife due to an error while being operated on) and is funded by the Health Foundation.

The speech set out what the health priorities will be for government going forward, of which the first and major priority is to put patients first. Andrew Lansley said ‘…patients must be at the heart of everything that we do, not just beneficiaries of care, but as participants, with shared decision-making.’

Stephen Thornton, Chief Executive of the Health Foundation, welcomed the speech and said:

‘We are pleased that the work of the Health Foundation around productivity and efficiency was recognised by the Secretary of State for Health. The Health Foundation is taking a leading role in developing a better understanding about how initiatives to improve quality can be used to their best effect.

'A core part of our work is to improve patient safety in the NHS and ensure that patient safety is at the top of the government’s agenda. We are delighted that putting patients first is at the heart of everything that the government does and is now a priority.’