New health secretary Alan Johnson has announced a major review of the NHS with an admission that staff morale is a problem.
He said: “The reality on the ground is that there is a gloomy mood. There has been an awful lot of change in a short period and staff feel overwhelmed by it.”
The review will involve patients as well as employees in a bid to set the health service up for the next 10 years.
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Led by new health minister and world-renowned surgeon professor Ara Darzi, it will report to government before the 60-year anniversary in July 2008.
The review will include:
- Working with NHS staff to ensure that clinical decision-making is at the heart of the future of the NHS
- Improving patient care, including high-quality, joined-up services for those suffering long-term or life-threatening conditions
- Delivering more accessible and more convenient care integrated across primary and secondary providers
- Establishing a vision for the next decade of the health service that is based less on central direction and more on patient control, choice and local accountability.
