Taken together, baseline objectives are the way the service meets its core purpose. The NHS makes a vital contribution to achieving the targets for improving health set out in the Government's health strategy, The Health of the Nation. Monitoring shows that in most areas progress is encouraging. For example, the target for reducing suicides which had appeared particularly challenging, is showing movement in the right direction.
Progress is also good for reducing deaths from coronary heart disease.
In other areas though, trends have been away from the targets. A greater proportion of teenagers are smoking, for example, and more people are becoming obese. The NHS contributes to The Health of the Nation strategy through health promotion work in both primary care and hospital settings. It is also a key partner in many successful health alliances with other agencies. Initiatives like the Patient's Charter have helped improve services by being clear about expected standards and measuring performance achieved.