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The Department's policies determine how all areas of the NHS and social care are structured, financed and managed. This section contains information on modernisation plans as well as current arrangements.
Health reform brings together all the major changes needed to create an NHS that always puts patients first. It shows how making services fit around patients can push standards up right across the system. It will help local health care organisations as they strive to offer the sort of convenient, comfortable, high-quality care that people need and will choose to use long into the future.
The organisational structure of the NHS is being renewed so that it can respond better to the priorities of local patients and frontline staff.
Detailed guide to NHS planning, spending and income. Guidance and publications about financial reforms and processes, fund and grant allocation, Direct Payments and the 2003-2006 Planning Framework.
This section contains guidance documents on commissioning arrangements in the NHS, including the Commissioning a patient-led NHS change programme, practice-based commissioning and specialised services.
Policies, plans and initiatives to improve the organisation of emergency care in England. Modernising accident and emergency units, matching ward capacity to public need, and reducing waiting times.
Policies, plans and initiatives to improve the organisation of integrated care in England. Care trusts, programmes to make hospital admission and discharge more efficient, and financial arrangements to support users and providers of long term or residential care.
Policies, plans and initiatives to improve the organisation of primary care in England. Areas covered include investment plans, primary care workforce development, the use of information technology and the administrative structure and roles of different types of primary care trusts.
Policies, plans and initiatives to improve the organisation of secondary care in England. New ways of providing secondary care (for example, Treatment Centres), the programme to give all patients access to pre-booked appointments at a time of their choice, and guidance about hospital management and development.
Self care was highlighted in the NHS Plan as one of the key building blocks for a patient-centred health service
Current policy for managing patient records in NHS trusts and health authorities. Guidance about safeguarding sensitive information and the implications of the Data Protection Act 1998.
Details of regulations on how public bodies, including NHS organisations, can allow re-use of their information. Plus guidance and examples of good practice.
For UK healthcare to fulfil its potential, members of the public should take a substantial role in shaping the care system's development, and patients should be kept well informed of clinical processes and decisions. Policy documents and guidance on how these goals can be achieved.
Help for members of the public wishing to complain about NHS services. Plus guidance for NHS organisations about responding to complaints, relevant legislation and plans for reforming NHS complaints policy.
Decontamination is a combination of processes, including cleaning, disinfection and/or sterilization, used to render reusable surgical instruments safe for further use. Improving decontamination forms an important part of the Chief Medical Officer’s strategy to combat healthcare associated infections. Our aim is to give better protection to patients and staff by improving decontamination.
Detailed guide to Governance including Risk Management and Assurance. Statement on Internal Control and other statutory governance/assurance/audit details are also included.
Good healthcare environments are key drivers of patient experience. Good environments matter to patients, their visitors and carers and to staff. This section contains policies and guidance on how to improve the patient environment and the basic care services delivered within that environment. Areas covered include clean hospitals, hospital food, basic care services, privacy and dignity, ward housekeeping and the healing environment.
Strategic development of a flexible and responsive environment for health and social care, delivering improved health outcomes through innovative estates and facilities solutions which enable high quality, safe patient care.
