NHS Constitution

Securing the NHS today for generations to come

The NHS belongs to the people and the NHS Constitution became law in January 2010. It brings together for the first time in the history of the NHS in one place, what staff, patients and public can expect from the NHS. It explains that by working together we can make the very best of finite resources to improve our health and wellbeing through to the end of our lives. The Constitution reaffirms that the NHS belongs to us all and everyone has a role to play in its success.

Ten Year Vision

Lord Darzi’s review of the NHS – ‘High Quality Care For All’ provided a ten-year vision to provide the highest quality of care and service to patients in England. To implement this vision, the NHS needs to transform services not only to provide a high quality health service but also value for money for the taxpayer.

Sharing rights, pledges and responsibilities

Turning this vision into a reality means that the NHS must continue to change the way it works – how and where care is provided for example, but the fundamental purpose, principles and values of the NHS can and must remain constant. By setting these out clearly in the Constitution, we can all – staff, patients and taxpayers – have the confidence that the NHS can meet the challenges of the future on the basis of a shared understanding and common purpose.

As well as capturing the purpose, principles and values of the NHS, the Constitution brings together a number of rights, pledges and responsibilities for staff and patients alike.

New additions to Constitution 1st April 2010

These rights and responsibilities reflect what matters to staff, patients and public and are the results of extensive discussions and consultations with them. In respons to this feedback, the final Constitution has been strengthened. It will help to improve patients’ experience of the NHS and as recently as 1st April 2010 has been revised to include the results of a recent Consultation. This approved the following new rights:

to start non-urgent treatment within 18 weeks
to see a specialist where cancer is suspected within two weeks of referral, or
for the NHS to take all reasonable steps to offer a range of alternative providers where this is not possible

For NHS staff the Constitution means an NHS-wide commitment to equipping them with the tools, training and support they need to deliver high quality care.

All NHS bodies, and private and third-sector providers supplying NHS services are now required by law to take account of the Constitution in their decisions and actions. The Government will have a legal duty to renew the Constitution every 10 years. No Government will be able to change the Constitution and therefore how the NHS works, without the full involvement of staff, patients and the public.

The ambition is that the Constitution will form the basis of a new relationship between staff and patients – a relationship based on partnership, respect and shared commitment where everyone knows what they can expect from the NHS and what is expected from them. The Constitution is not a lawyers’ charter.

The Constitution will help ensure that we are all empowered to take control and make choices over our care. Beyond this, the ambition is that it will lead to real behaviour change among us all with each and every one of us making the very best of the NHS.

For further information on how the NHS Constitution affects you follow the links:

Patient and Public Leaflet: What does the Constitution mean for me? (PDF File: 380 KB)

NHS Staff Leaflet: All you need to know about how the NHS Constitution affects you as a provider or commissioner of NHS care (PDF File: 5.8 MB)

Useful links

NHS Constitution Full text
The NHS Constitution - The State of Readiness GROUP (SORG)	From January 2010, all providers and commissioners of NHS care will be under a new legal obligation to have regard to the NHS Constitution in all their decisions and actions. This means that the Constitution, its pledges, principles, values and responsibilities need to be fully embedded and ingrained into everything the NHS does. The State of Readiness Group (SoRG), convened at the request of the NHS Management Board, has produced a report containing recommendations and examples of good practice designed to help.
The Handbook to the NHS Constitution for England	The Handbook to the NHS Constitution is here to give NHS staff and patients all the information you need about the NHS Constitution in one place. It acts as a guide to: patients’ rights and pledges responsibilities of patients and the public and staff staff rights and NHS pledges to its staff At the back of this Handbook is an appendix, which outlines the legal source for both the patient and staff rights in the NHS Constitution.
Statutory Duty to have regard to the Constitution	The core purpose and values of the NHS will be reinforced by placing a duty on providers and commissioners of NHS services to have regard to the new NHS Constitution.
The Statement of NHS Accountability for England (17 page booklet)	The Constitution commits the Government to providing a statement of NHS accountability.This document accompanies the NHS Constitution, and provides a summary of the structure and functions of the NHS.
Impact Assessment for the NHS Constitution
NHS South Central NHS Constitution information	Principles that guided the NHS NHS values Patients and the Public Staff e-learning Feedback
A guide to values in the NHS	A guide to values in the NHS from the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement. As part of Lord Darzi's Next Stage Review, staff and patients across the country came together to discuss what mattered to them in the NHS. These discussions helped to define NHS wide values, which are now part of the NHS Constitution.