29th May 2009

NHS reflects on delivery of key priorities

NHS Chief Executive David Nicholson today thanked NHS staff for their hard work improving care for patients this year, including reducing healthcare associated infections and waiting times, and extending GP opening hours.

Launching his third annual report at the annual NHS Chief Executive’s Conference, Mr Nicholson said that while the NHS had delivered its promises for the year, it had to go further and faster to improve the quality of services for patients.

The NHS anticipates 11 per cent growth in funding over the next two years, which will be locked in on recurring basis, but it will need to prepare for leaner times after that. This means that the NHS would need to deliver efficiency savings in the order of £15 billion over the three years after 2011, to address pressures in the system, and this can only be achieved through the improvements in quality and advances in innovation envisaged in the Next Stage Review.

Mr Nicholson said that based on this year’s meeting of targets he was confident that the leadership of the NHS would continue to deliver improvements in the future.

(Source – News Distribution Service for Government and the Public Sector)

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