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The United Kingdom's less than empowered patients

Health Consumer Powerhouse has assessed patient empowerment across Europe, and 'This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England' rates a dismal 17th out of 31, bettered by four ex Eastern Bloc countries - Slovenia, Slovakia, Estonia and Lithuania - inter alia. Given that they have managed to move from a command and control model in less than 20 years, one does have to wonder about the efficacy of all of the initiatives, taskforces etc that have worked on healthcare of late.

Denmark leads - "The report finds that money is not the only thing that matters when it comes to patient empowerment – the issue is about will and perception of whom the healthcare system aims to serve!"

(HCP rather overdoes it with exclamation marks)

And us: "The UK has taken essential steps by introducing choice among care providers and by ensuring patient participation in the legislative as well as Health Technology Assessment processes. Key is to foster patient literacy – not until then better participation in for example the voluntary screening programs will be achieved in the UK. Today´s report tells that UK patients should have access to comprehensive information about their medicines, from more sources than their doctor or pharmacist. Such knowledge would ensure that patients can become active partners in healthcare...Following on such progress additional tools will become essential to involve patients in the decision-making, such as co-payment and other kinds of financial incentives. Given the mediocre NHS quality outcomes proven in earlier rankings by the Health Consumer Powerhouse there is a need for on-going reform".

Ditching the medical school course units on 'patronising patients for pleasure and profit' would be a start.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 at 11:19 am. You can skip to the end and leave a response.

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Blogger Old BE said... 12:16 pm

As Mr Hannan said on his Fox piece: under the NHS there is no contractual relationship between user and provider.  



Blogger Croydonian said... 12:38 pm

And where there is no contractual arrangement, there is one based on status, and we all know what that leads to.  



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