23 February 2001
In a speech at a conference examining the role of Best Value in the NHS last week, health minister Lord Hunt said that the Value for Patients guidance, which will be published soon, would oblige trusts to benchmark their services against the best performers.
If the services failed on the grounds of value for money and quality, trusts would be required to move the contracts to other providers through market testing, emphasising the need for patient satisfaction and quality as well as cost.
The views of ward sisters will be particularly prominent as they will be responsible for the cleanliness of their wards and the first point of contact for the service providers.
PFfeb2001
