Patient power is the future - PM
9 January 2008
The Prime Minister has identified patient choice over treatment as the way forward for the NHS in the 21st century.
Speaking during his regular Prime Minister's Questions session, Mr Brown said that NHS reforms would allow people more power over "decisions that affect their lives", such as where and when to receive healthcare and medical treatment. Improving choice and the flow of information for patients was the "right direction" for the NHS.
The PM also said that the Government's NHS reform programme would have a "major effect on health inequalities", particularly the "disparity in life chances" that exists between people from different areas of the country.
On Monday the PM delivered his first keynote speech on the future of the NHS. The organisation should focus on choice, preventative methods such as screening for major diseases, and on new tackling "lifestyle" conditions such as obesity.
Image copyright: Reuters
Archive of PM's speeches