DH consultation on NHS care objectives

The NHS Commissioning Board will oversee £80 billion of NHS expenditure in line with a set objectives set out in a “mandate”, which must be updated every year, following consultation.  The first draft mandate is not open for consultation (here).

The draft mandate includes objectives under five headings:

1. Improving our health and our healthcare
2. Putting patients first
3. The broader contribution of the NHS
4. Effective commissioning
5. Finance and financial management

Among the usual rhetoric, there is something you don’t normally see in policy documents –the QALY!  Three objectives are to be set based on measuring QALY gains:

• Increase the number of Quality Adjusted Life Years for people in England with long term conditions to X by 2015; X by 2018; and X by 2023.
• Improve recovery from illness or injury through increasing the number of Quality Adjusted Life Years for NHS patients in England by X by 2015; X by 2018; and X by 2023.
• Improve patient safety, reducing Quality Adjusted Life Years lost to NHS patients in England through avoidable harm (within NHS facilities) by X% by 2015; X% by 2018; and X% by 2023.

Responses (and X?) are required by 26th September 2012.