The new NHS will work as one. There will be clear roles and responsibilities for each part of the health service. It will work to new standards of quality and efficiency that will guarantee better services for patients. The new NHS will be performance driven. This chapter summarises the main features of the new system and describes the key role each part of the NHS will play.
Later chapters give greater detail.
The new NHS will have quality at its heart. Without it there is unfairness. Every patient who is treated in the NHS wants to know that they can rely on receiving high quality care when they need it. Every part of the NHS, and everyone who works in it, should take responsibility for working to improve quality. And it must be the quality of the patient's experience as well as the clinical result - quality measured in terms of prompt access, good relationships and efficient administration.