Understandably, the media comment on on the Condem re-write of the NHS Operating Statement (the government’s instructions to the NHS about what to do) has focused on the removal of the waiting times requirements – your GP no longer gets a kick if (s)he makes you wait longer than 48 hours for an appointment and your A&E can keep you on a trolley longer than 4 hours (but they’re told the removal of the target does not mean that they should not try harder; I’ll wait to see, but I think these targets have been useful).

However, there is stuff on better cooperation between health and social care, particularly on re-ablement (that is, getting everybody back to work and not claiming government social security payments) and a commissioning document.on end of life care is still expected later this year; so that is where we should look for the improvements they’ll be going for, and the incentives that they’ll be offering to Pcts and others to do their bidding.

The operating statement:http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/@ps/documents/digitalasset/dh_116860.pdf