Liberating the NHS

Liberating the NHS

The title of a position document published in 2010, which sets out the UK Government's response to consultation on implementing the white paper, "Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS", and its accompanying consultation documents, "Increasing Democratic Legitimacy in Health", "Commissioning for Patients", and "Regulating Healthcare Providers". "Liberating the NHS" describes how the Government has developed plans in the light of consultation and gives further detail on NHS reforms and a timetable for implementation. It also explains how the consultation shaped the Health and Social Care Bill, planned for introduction in January 2011, reaffirming the Government’s commitment to reforming the NHS so that it:
• Puts patients at the heart of decisions made about their care;
• Focuses on delivering health outcomes that are comparable with, or even better than, those of Europe and beyond; and
• Puts clinicians in charge of decisions about services.