Landmark day as patients to help put quality at the heart of the NHS and social care - Amended.

(From Government News Network)

] DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 31 March 2009 Landmark day as patients to help put quality at the heart of the NHS and social care - Amended

Patient feedback on operations and the start of the new NHS and Social care complaints system are two of the measures that will come into force today, marking a major milestone, that will ensure quality of patient care is at the centre of everything the NHS does, the Department of Health announced.

A number of measures, all designed to raise the quality of services and standards in the NHS in England come into effect from 1 April. The measures include:

* The Performance Framework - will set minimum standards of quality, safety and financial management that patients can expect from the NHS and tackle underperformance in hospitals and primary care trusts. The framework will identify trusts, remove poor managers and bring in new management, including from other hospitals or from the private sector.

* Patient feedback on operations - people who undergo hip or knee replacements, groin hernia and varicose vein surgery will be asked to asses how successful they felt the procedure was and whether they were satisfied with the outcome. The Patient Reported Outcome Measures have been welcomed by clinicians and patient groups as an effective way to provide GPs and their patients with better information about where to go for their NHS treatment.

* The National Quality Board - provides strategic oversight and leadership on quality in the NHS. The Board met for the first time on Monday (30 March).