Last week Health Secretary Andy Burnham announced a new financial framework that “rewards people-centred service and care”. Under proposed reforms a proportion of future hospital budgets will be dependent on patient satisfaction with those offering a better patient experience getting more money. Hospitals will publish “Quality Accounts” each year, alongside their financial accounts. These are intended to measure patient satisfaction service by service in each hospital on issues such as the provision of information, how patients are dealt with by staff as well as cleanliness and facilities like car parking. The intention is for the public to be able to access comparative information through NHS Choices when making decisions about their care.
This change is being made as part of the implementation of the recommendations made by Lord Darzi following his detailed NHS next stage review which resulted in his report, ‘High Quality Care For All’ in June 2008. During his review, Lord Darzi identified improvements in the quality of care in recent years but that patient reports of their experiences did not always reflect that. One nationwide consultation conducted as part of Lord Darzi’s review revealed more than 50% of patients, public and staff reported the need for a lot or a fair amount of improvement in the dignity and respect with which patients are treated, the provision of information, communication and the way complaints are treated.
Through its extensive experience of dealing with clients who have been injured as a result of their medical treatment, Leigh Day & Co is all too aware of the impact poor patient experiences can have. Failings in communication and a lack of information lead to patients not understanding fully the decisions they have to make about their treatment and this in turn can lead to clinical negligence litigation. Clients also frequently report being reluctant to use the NHS complaints process after things have gone wrong out of a sense of distrust and a feeling that they will not receive a proper explanation about what happened.
Kelly Lawford, solicitor in the clinical negligence deaprtment, says:
"While it is unfortunate that there should be a need to incentivize such basic values, Leigh Day & Co welcomes any incentive which aims to improve the way patients are treated and the information they are given about their treatment and hopes that these proposals will, as is hoped, empower patients to make informed choices about their care."
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