NHS Confederation's new policy forum

The NHS Confederation unveils today its new policy forum to assert the voice of the NHS in face of the huge spending and political challenges it faces.

Made up of senior NHS leaders across the country and from different parts of the system, the new Policy Forum aims to allow the NHS to speak strongly on the big strategic issues facing the service.

The Policy Forum will be chaired by NHS Confederation chair Sir Keith Pearson. The first meeting was last week and it has already asked the NHS Confederation to prioritise the following issues:

• NHS Finances - In particular public understanding of the state of NHS finances and why current models of care must change.
  
• Quality of care - Particularly responding to concerns about the issues of caring for older people properly and with dignity.
  
• Taking the long view - Focusing the healthcare debate on a ten-year timeframe rather than simply over electoral cycles.
  
• NHS leadership - the NHS requires improved and different leadership to meet the challenges it faces. Old command and control must be replaced with more locally empowered and collaborative leadership.
  

NHS Confederation chief executive Mike Farrar said:

"This is a great platform for the NHS to step up and speak out about the challenges we are facing. We are currently facing one of the most serious financial squeezes the service has ever faced and we want to ensure that the leadership of the NHS can speak out about the big issues facing health care."

Source: Dehavilland

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