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Patients and NHS staff alike will see their voices strengthened under the government's new Health Bill.
Intended to devolve power to patients and healthcare professionals, the Bill will implement proposals for a sustainable national framework for the health service.
The government hopes that eliminating the top-down structural approach will make doctors and nurses accountable to patients, rather than layers of NHS management.
There will be a new focus on patient outcomes and the reduction of bureaucracy. Targets that have no clinical justification will be scrapped, empowering NHS staff to make decisions about the management of day-to-day care and services. This is intended to encourage innovation.
This follows the Liberal Democrat manifesto commitment to put front-line staff in charge of their ward or unit budgets. Furthermore, the party said it would allow staff to set up employee trusts, giving them a real sense of involvement over services.
As promised in the recent 'programme for government', the number of health quangos will be significantly reduced. The election campaign saw both parties promise to curtail the number of quangos, and it is hoped that this will cut the cost of NHS administration by a third.
The Bill will create an NHS led by clinicians that is more responsive to patients, and that fosters continuous improvements in quality.
The focus on outcomes will be achieved through a strengthened Care Quality Commission, and by developing Monitor into an economic regulator – to oversee aspects of access and competition in the NHS.
The Bill will introduce an independent NHS board to set commissioning guidelines and allocate resources. This was a key part of the Conservatives' pre-election plans for health, although the Liberal Democrats have in the past expressed reservations over creating what they see as another unelected quango.
Both the coalition government document and the Conservatives in their manifesto promised to increase health spending every year. The Liberal Democrat manifesto committed the party to helping the NHS work better with money it has, redirecting savings from wasteful areas to the frontline.
All patients will have better access to drugs and innovative treatments. The Bill will include provisions for reforming the way pharmaceutical companies are paid for NHS medicines. The programme for government also included a commitment to reform the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, and move to a system of value-based pricing.
And, an interim 'Cancer Drug Fund' will come into force in April 2011.
Commenting on the Bill, health secretary Andrew Lansley said:
"Our proposals will help cut waste, and achieve health outcomes that are amongst the best in the world."
Existing legislation in this area is:
Wide range of legislation would be affected, including the National Health Service Act 2006.
Further details will follow in due course.
Territorial Extent:
The majority of issues addressed in this Bill are devolved matters and generally apply to England only.
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