Government publishes first ever NHS Mandate

The government has published a groundbreaking NHS Mandate that aims to set out clearer targets for improvement among UK healthcare providers.

Establishing ambitions for the health service covering the next two years, it lays out what every patient in England can expect from GPs, hospitals and the wider NHS, and has been created following extensive consultation with stakeholders.

Key objectives featured in the Mandate include improved standards of care, better dementia treatment, enhanced services for pregnant women and a new system for receiving patient feedback.

Moreover, by 2015 everyone will be able to book GP appointments and find out local NHS performance statistics online, while mental and physical health issues are to be regarded as equally important.

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "By focusing on what matters to patients … we will make sure the NHS stays relevant to our needs and ensure this country's proudest creation remains its finest."

The British Medical Association has broadly welcomed the strategic vision presented by the Mandate, but said its success will depend upon its effective implementation.