FACTBOX - NHS constitution for England
LONDON (Reuters) - The government published a draft constitution for the National Health Service on Monday.
Here are the main points:
- The constitution is a declarative document, rather than a legalistic one, aiming to clarify existing patient entitlements and also spell out patients' responsibilities.
- Future governments will be required to renew the constitution every 10 years.
- All NHS organisations and providers will have a legal duty to take account of the constitution in decisions they make.
- Key rights for patients include:
- the right to receive NHS services free of charge (apart from certain limited exceptions sanctioned by Parliament, including prescription, dental and eye test charges)
- the right to drugs and treatments recommended by the clinical effectiveness watchdog NICE.
- the right to expect local decisions on the funding of drugs to be made rationally following proper consideration of the evidence. Continued...
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