Health and Social Care Secretary has ordered a full and independent investigation
into the state of the NHS, to uncover the extent of the issues
facing the nation's health service.
Mr Streeting says he wants a ‘raw and honest' assessment that
will deliver ‘the hard truths'.
Today he has appointed Professor Lord Darzi, a lifelong surgeon
and innovator, independent peer and former health minister, to
lead the rapid assessment, which will be delivered in September.
Its findings will provide the basis for the government's 10-year
plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that
is fit for the future.
Health and Social Care Secretary said:
“Anyone who works in or uses the NHS can see it is broken. This
government will be honest about the challenges facing the health
service, and serious about tackling them.
“This investigation will uncover hard truths and I've asked for
nothing to be held back. I trust Lord Darzi will leave no stone
unturned and have told him to speak truth to power.
“I want a raw and frank assessment of the state of the NHS. This
is the necessary first step on the road to recovery for our
National Health Service, so it can be there for us when we need
it, once again.”
Professor Lord Darzi said: “As every clinician
and every patient knows, the first step to addressing any health
problem is a proper diagnosis.
“My work will analyse the evidence to understand where we are
today - and how we got to here - so that the health service can
move forward.
“This is an important step to reestablishing quality of care as
the organising principle of the NHS.”
Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive said:
“Frontline NHS staff are doing an incredible job, despite the
huge pressures they face, to deliver care to over a million
people every day, but we know that they face huge struggles and
patients are not always getting the timely, high quality care
they need.
“We will work closely with the government, independent experts
and NHS staff to take a detailed look at the scale of the
challenges and set out plans to address them – this comprehensive
analysis will be an important step in helping us to build an NHS
fit for the future.”
The Health and Social Care Secretary's promise to fix the broken
NHS was backed by action this week as he met with key figures
across the health service.
This included key meetings with junior doctors to discuss ending
the strikes, and talks with the British Dental Association about
rebuilding NHS dentistry. He also visited a GP surgery in north
London to see first-hand how the practice is delivering a
patient-led service providing continuity of care – a key pillar
of the government's ambition to improve primary care.
Mr Streeting also set out his wider commitment to support the
government's growth mission by improving the health of the
nation.
The aims are based on three key steps – cutting waiting times to
get people back to work, making the UK a life sciences and
medical technology superpower, and creating training and job
opportunities through the NHS to deliver growth up and down the
country.
