Response to British Medical Association health policy consultation

This paper outlines The Health Foundation’s response to the British Medical Association’s discussion paper on health policy reform.

A rational way forward

The BMA published a discussion paper, A rational way forward for the NHS in England, in May 2007, outlining its approach to health reform. The Health Foundation’s response focuses on clinical engagement, and makes further suggestions about five recommendations:

• Recommendation 8: There needs to be more autonomy for health professionals and managers to shape local services.
• Recommendation 9: National clinical standards for quality must underpin local management and provision of services.
• Recommendation 12: The provision of high quality undergraduate and postgraduate medical education across all healthcare sectors should be a central part of commissioning and the provision of services.
• Recommendation 23: There is an urgent priority to develop effective clinical information systems.
• Recommendation 24: Clinical governance needs to be refocused to cover the whole care pathway and generate high-quality information that enables clinicians and managers to revise practice.

Conclusions

The Health Foundation believes that the BMA’s proposed way forward for the NHS should incorporate a national infrastructure to support quality improvement that includes:

• support for healthcare professionals to develop skills and improve quality to close gaps between best practice and current practice
• clear national standards to ensure equity of provision and access nationwide
• clinical outcome measures at the centre of the healthcare system so that patients, commissioners, providers and professionals know where and how care needs to be improved.

• Email to a colleague
• Add to briefcase
• Print page