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The NHS Constitution will give power to patients and the public by bringing their existing rights together in one place so they know what they are legally entitled to – and how they can exercise their rights as well as understanding their responsibilities.  It also contains pledges, which the NHS is committed to achieve.  For NHS staff the NHS Constitution will mean an NHS-wide commitment to equipping them with the tools, training and support they need to deliver high quality care.

Lord Darzi’s review of the NHS, 'High Quality Care for All' concluded last summer that there was a case for a NHS Constitution to enshrine the principles and values of the NHS in England.  The landmark document will put in one place what patients, staff and the public can expect of the health service.   It is designed to safeguard the future of the NHS and renew its core values, making sure it continues to be relevant to the needs of patients, the public and staff in the 21st century.

Health Secretary, Alan Johnson said: “This is a momentous point in the history of the NHS.   Following on from Lord Darzi’s Next Stage Review, the launch of the NHS Constitution shows how its founding principles still endure today and have resonance for staff, patients and public alike. It will ensure that we protect the NHS for generations to come.

“The content of the NHS Constitution is based on discussions with thousands of NHS staff and patients across the country and will form the basis of a new relationship between staff and patients – a relationship based on partnership, respect and shared commitment where everyone knows what they can expect from the NHS and what is expected from them.“

New rights

The NHS Constitution is the result of extensive consultation with staff and patients. It includes:

• a right to makes choices about your care and to information to help exercise that choice
• a new legal right to receive the vaccinations that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommends that you should receive under an NHS-provided national immunisation programme
• a right making explicit your entitlement to drugs and treatments that have been recommended by NICE for use in the NHS, if your doctor says they are clinically appropriate for you
• a right to expect local decisions on funding of other drugs and treatments to be made rationally following a proper consideration of the evidence
• clear and comprehensive rights to complaint and redress

The new rights in relation to vaccines, choice and decisions on funding of drugs and other treatments will be created through separate regulations and directions, which have been laid and published today, and are due to come into force on 1 April. 

Subject to its passage through Parliament, the Health Bill, published last week, will ensure that the NHS Constitution is reviewed every 10 years and place a duty on NHS bodies, as well as independent sector and third sector providers of NHS services to have regard to the NHS Constitution.

Further information

You can find the NHS Constitution on the NHS website.

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