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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 December 2024
The NHS Constitution principles
The NHS Constitution (Department of Health and Social Care, 2021) outlines the rights of patients and the pledges made by the NHS for England. All NHS bodies, including privately owned organisations providing for the NHS, must abide by the constitution rules by law. Within this constitution, the NHS is founded on a common set of principles and values. These apply to the people it serves and the staff working within it.
There are seven guiding principles:
1. The NHS provides a comprehensive service, available to all – a comprehensive service includes a commitment to improve, prevent, diagnose, and treat physical and mental health problems, and this is available to all people.
2. Access to NHS services is based on clinical need, not an individual's ability to pay – NHS services are free of charge except in limited circumstances.
3. The NHS aspires to the highest standards of excellence and professionalism – services will be high quality, safe, and effective. Staff will be valued, skilled, and developed. Respect and dignity will be at the core of how staff and patients are treated.
4. The patient will be at the heart of everything the NHS does – patients will be supported to manage their own health, have their personal preferences met, will be involved in, and consulted on decisions about their care, and their feedback will be sought.
5. The NHS works across organisational boundaries – the NHS will work with other organisations in the interests of patients and local communities. This includes the local authority, private, and voluntary sector organisations.
6. The NHS is committed to providing best value for taxpayer's money – resources will be used in a way that is fair, effective, and sustainable, in a way that benefits people.
7. The NHS is accountable to the public, communities, and patients that it serves – the government sets the framework for the NHS, but it is the local NHS, patients, and clinicians who make most of the decisions about care. With a system of responsibility, the NHS will be transparent and clear to the public, patients, and staff about the decisions it makes.
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