Final Report > Chapter 27: Care of an Appropriate Standard > Setting standards for clinical care > Patient-centred standards

Patient-centred standards

28 It follows from all that we have said about the need for care to be organised around the needs and interests of the patient, that the standards must be built around patients and their conditions. While this appears obvious, it has two significant implications. It means first that, ordinarily, standards will not be drawn up by, and solely addressed to, one group of professionals. Patients, particularly those in hospital, are seen by, and need the care of, professionals in different disciplines, often working in teams. Patients are also seen within NHS facilities, and the quality of those facilities and the way in which care is organised, as we have learned, affect the standards of care. Patients also need timely access to care. Thus the standards must address, reflect and incorporate the roles and responsibilities of those in the team who from time to time will care for the patient and the physical facilities in which care is provided. They must include guidance as to how promptly patients should get access to care. They must also address such matters as the way in which care for people with a given illness or condition is organised as between primary, community and hospital care. This conclusion adds further strength to the view that the setting of standards must be the responsibility of an organisation, NICE, which can co-ordinate the activities of the different professional bodies involved and ensure that the patient's perspective and the patient's journey are taken into account. The second implication is that patients and the public must themselves be involved in the setting of standards, so that their interests and concerns are fully taken into account.