18 July 2003
New types of health care workers and new responsibilities for patients are needed to improve the outcomes of NHS treatment, the Left-of-centre Institute for Public Policy Research said this week.
In a report, Future health care worker, the think-tank said that new roles must be developed. These include health care practitioners, who would take patients' histories and examine them, and co-ordinate care packages with other health bodies and social services.
There could also be new roles for existing staff – the report suggests consultant pharmacists could manage the medication of patients with chronic conditions.
The IPPR said patients should be supported to take responsibility for their own health through patient-professional 'contracts', though care would not be taken away because of non-compliance.
It also called for a review of doctors' terms and conditions that mean they are on a separate pay spine to other health care workers. The IPPR believes this could block fair pay for nurses who take on greater responsibilities.
'Successive governments have focused more on changing the structures of the NHS than on reforming the working practices, cultures and attitudes of the staff within it. Yet these issues are critical in determining the quality of care patients receive,' said Liz Kendall, IPPR associate director.
Gill Morgan, the NHS Confederation chief executive, backed the report's findings.
'The key challenge facing the NHS now is how to get the best from the people who work for it,' she said. 'This means changing traditional patterns of working as well as improving the relationships between clinicians and managers.'
PFjul2003
