NHS Constitution
Key contributions
Response to the consultation on the draft NHS Constitution, 2008
Picker Institute Europe welcomes the draft constitution and in particular the patient rights to full information on available treatment options, and to participate in decisions about their care. It makes recommendations further to reflect these rights in the overall language of the documents; and suggests including 'continuous quality improvement' among the principles of the NHS.
An Independent NHS: what's in it for patients and the public? 2008
Picker Institute Europe's own contribution to the debate on NHS independence suggests a 'public value' approach to the health service, building on experience at the BBC since 2004.
Picker Institute Europe gave a detailed response to the Conservative Party's 'white paper' on the organisation of the NHS.
Accountability of local health services
Picker Institute Europe has made some significant analyses of the relationship between local health services and their patients and public.
The accountability of local health services: the public's views and what to do about them, 2008.
The paper notes that while the public in general believe it is appropriate for them to be involved in local healthcare decisions, in practice very few participate, and there is no evidence of a demand for greater involvement. However there are initiatives that both the government and primary care trusts could take to increase their accountability. It influenced the report of the 'health commission' established by the Local Government Association.
This analysis in turn built partly on the results of a survey of primary care trusts:Patient and public involvement in commissioning, 2007
This found that while most PCTs try to involve patients and the public in some way, they were mainly using 'traditional', less intensive techniques that were focused on formal consultations and service redesign, rather than, for example, setting priorities.