Value for money strategy

Any imperative to spend a budget within a given timeframe should not be allowed to take precedence over how that budget is used and the longer term benefits and overall value of such expenditure. Ministers, Special Advisers and the Northern Ireland Civil Service all share responsibility for ensuring best practice in the use of taxpayers' money.

There should be regular assessments by HM Coastguard of the adequacy of the available assets and human resources to respond to both current and reasonably foreseeable levels of small boat activity. Where the forecast level of resourcing need cannot be delivered within budget, the position must be escalated rapidly to the Department for Transport.

The system of Distinction Awards for hospital consultants should be examined to determine whether it could be used to provide greater incentives than exist at present for providing good quality of care to patients. The possibility of its extension to include junior hospital doctors should be explored.

There should be an urgent review of the system for providing compensation to those who suffer harm arising out of medical care. The review should be concerned with the introduction of an administrative system for responding promptly to patients’ needs in place of the current system of clinical negligence and should take account of other administrative systems for...

So as to provide for patients an effective, efficient and seamless information and advocacy service, consideration should be given to how the various patient advocacy and liaison services in a given geographical area could most effectively collaborate, including in relation to the provision of information for patients and the public.

We endorse the initiative in ‘The NHS Plan’ to establish a Patient Advocacy and Liaison Service in every NHS trust and primary care trust. The establishment of this service should be implemented in full as quickly as possible. Once established, patient advocacy and liaison services must be given secure funding to enable them to provide an effective service...

Voluntary organisations which provide care and support to patients and carers in the NHS (such as through telephone helplines, the provision of information and the organisation of self-help groups) play a very important role. Groups which meet the appropriate standards as laid down by the NHS should receive appropriate funding from the state for the contribution they make...