The Government is committed to giving the people of this country the best system of health care in the world. At its best the National Health Service is the envy of the world. But often it takes too long for patients to get treated.
Quality is variable.
And NHS staff feel too much of their time and effort is diverted from treating patients into pushing paper. This White Paper explains how the Government, working with those one million staff, will build a modern and dependable health service fit for the twenty first century. A national health service which offers people prompt high quality treatment and care when and where they need it. An NHS that does not just treat people when they are ill but works with others to improve health and reduce health inequalities. Achieving this vision means we have to change our approach to tackling ill-health and inequality.