Final Report > Chapter 21: Introduction > The structure of the Report

The structure of the Report

28 As we have said, a patient-centred approach informs the whole of our analysis and the recommendations which flow from it. In the chapters which follow, we consider the journey taken by a patient in need of healthcare, looking at the quality of the care received from the patient's perspective, and not from the perspective of what may meet the requirements of any healthcare organisation, any professional group or part of a profession, or the government of the day. We ask what the patient may properly expect of the NHS. To the extent that expectations may not currently be met, we seek to identify the problem and to make recommendations as to possible solutions.

29 Whether a patient's `journey' through the NHS consists of a telephone call to NHS Direct, a consultation with a GP, a visit from the community health nurse, a visit to an NHS walk-in centre, a visit to an outpatient clinic, or a stay in hospital, every patient is entitled to expect:

• respect and honesty;
• care in a setting which is well led;
• competent healthcare professionals;
• care which is safe;
• care of an appropriate standard; and
• inclusion and involvement in the NHS, both as a patient and as a member of the public.

These form the themes of the chapters which follow. They are preceded by a chapter on the culture of the NHS. For it is the culture of an organisation that sets the conditions in which any proposed change must occur. Only if the prevailing culture of the NHS develops and grows in the direction which we advocate, will it be possible to achieve and sustain the long-term improvements to the quality of healthcare which we all seek.