‘Progress made in key areas’ in health service

In a number of reports launched this week and a King’s Fund event, clinical experts have explored the development of the NHS over the last ten years.

The four reports claim that much progress has been made over the past decade, with advances made in heart disease, emergency care, cancer services and mental health treatment.

According to the reports, premature death from circulatory conditions in patients under 75 has fallen by 36 per cent, while accident and emergency services have been transformed with record investment and innovations.

Cancer care has improved with the government on track to meet a target of a 20 per cent reduction in deaths by 2010 and investment in mental health care has provided for the establishment of 700 new care teams in the community.

Patricia Hewitt, health secretary, said: “We have improved care across the board by ending the era of uniform, monolithic provision in the NHS, putting patients and their needs in the driving seat.”

She added that there had been a sea-change in discussion, as where ten years ago the survival of the health service was being questioned, currently all debate is focused on the level of care offered by the NHS.

Last week, the 2006 NHS workforce census showed an overall reduction in NHS headcount of 17,000 alongside a rise in full-time equivalent capacity for nurses and doctors.