New Bill to Raise NHS Standards

A new Bill proposal announced to the government by the queen earlier this month is set to improve the NHS. However it remains to be seen how this will be achieved since there are also proposed cost cutting plans which will affect how the NHS is run.

The queen, speaking to parliament earlier this month, said,

'Because the health of the nation is vital to its success and well-being, a Bill will be brought forward to strengthen the National Health Service.

'The Bill would create a duty to take account of the new NHS Constitution that will set out the core principles of the service and the rights and responsibilities of patients and staff. The Bill would also introduce measures to improve the quality of healthcare and public health.'

The proposed Bill is intended to help promote the use of treatments and drugs where they are clinically appropriate and to eliminate the 'postcode lottery' which exists in the UK. Differences in trust policies has meant that people in different parts of the country have been entitled to different levels of care. Some life-saving drugs for example, despite being approved by NICE, have been available in some areas but not in others.

Despite the higher levels of care that the Bill intends for the NHS there are also proposed cuts. According to a new report published by Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, up to 350,000 public sector jobs could be cut between 2010 and 2015. These will include nursing jobs. There are already complaints about NHS understaffing so the proposed cuts are set to have a negative impact on NHS standards and levels of care.

Private medical insurance is likely to be even more attractive in the light of the proposed cuts in staffing and the implications that this will have on NHS care.