Unlocking the talent of NHS staff is the key to high quality care, says Lord Darzi in his final report.

It has been nearly 12 months in the making and involved thousands of clinicians, NHS staff, patients and stakeholder groups.

The Department of Health (DH) has now published the long-awaited final report from Lord Darzi on his Next Stage Review of the NHS.

Entitled High Quality Care for All, Darzi's report sets out
plans that build on the visions that were submitted at the end of May and beginning of June by the nine Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs).

The SHA documents highlighted areas of excellence and areas where local
services could improve, and identified what changes would make that
improvement happen.

The report says that changes will be driven not through top-down targets, but by giving responsibility to the staff at local level.

"This report will enable frontline doctors, nurses and patients - who provide and use NHS services - to put into practice their visions for high quality care," explained Lord Darzi.

“As a surgeon I know how vital it is to balance the quality of the patient’s experience - a clean and safe environment, being treated with compassion dignity and respect - with the success of the treatment they receive.

“By measuring this quality across the service and publishing that information for the first time, both staff and patients can work together to make better informed choices about their care.

“By setting clearer standards, and recognising and rewarding innovation in quality, we can keep pace with the very latest advances in medicine and technology. By investing in additional health centres and services for GPs the NHS will diagnose illness faster and help people to stay healthy, as well as treating them when they are sick.

"We are committed to making career progression clearer, easier and more flexible for all staff and having clinical leaders at every level in the service. By unlocking their talent we will enable them to provide a level of care which was unimaginable even 20 years ago.”

Posted: 30/06/2008