NHS Constitution
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The NHS Constitution for England is a document that sets out objectives of the
National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
,
rights Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical the ...
and responsibilities of the various parties involved in health care, (staff, trust board,
patients' rights A patient's bill of rights is a list of guarantees for those receiving medical care. It may take the form of a law or a non-binding declaration. Typically a patient's bill of rights guarantees patients information, fair treatment, and autonomy ov ...
and responsibilities) and the guiding principles which govern the service. Unlike a real
constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...
, the document is not itself legally enforceable, though it purports to set out the rights of patients and staff. First published on 21 January 2009, it was one of a number of recommendations in
Lord Darzi Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or a ...
’s report "High Quality Care for All" as part of a ten-year plan to provide the highest quality of care and service for patients in England. Previously, these rights and responsibilities had evolved in common law or through
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
or
EU law European Union law is a system of rules operating within the member states of the European Union (EU). Since the founding of the European Coal and Steel Community following World War II, the EU has developed the aim to "promote peace, its val ...
, or were policy pledges by the NHS and
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that have been written into the document. It can be seen as a development of the ideas that began with the introduction of the Patient's Charter in 1991. It is fairly brief and written in plain terms. Accompanying is a handbook which gives more information to patients and staff about the document, and also provides detail on the legislation that underpins the rights. A statement of NHS accountability also gives a clear account of the NHS system of accountability, transparency and responsibility. The constitution was updated in 2013.


References


External links


NHS Constitution for England

NHS Constitution for England incorporating interactive links to the Handbook and the Statement of NHS Accountability
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