Patients "not benefiting" from NHS reforms

By Andrew Hough

LONDON (Reuters) - Patients have yet to see any significant benefits from the government's billion-pound overhaul to the National Health Service, two independent watchdogs said on Thursday.

NHS officials have underestimated the complexity of overhauling the health system, they said, although in the long run they expected the reforms to pay off.

While general NHS standards had improved considerably in the past few years, patients were still failing to feel any significant benefits because the reforms were not "delivering the desired changes."

The conclusions were reached in a joint report from the Healthcare Commission -- which overseas healthcare in England -- and the Audit Commission, which monitors other public bodies.

Officials from the two bodies estimated the reforms, unveiled almost a decade ago by Tony Blair, have cost taxpayers close to one billion pounds.

But they could not say whether the reforms had been good value for taxpayers' money, saying they needed another two years to properly assess them.

In their joint report: "Is the treatment working? Progress with the NHS system reform," they said there was still a lack of choice of treatment centres and not enough information to allow patients to make a proper decision.

Earlier this year, patients' options were expanded to allow them to choose from any NHS hospital in England or private provider that uses public money.