UK's NHS "constitution" dismissed by patients' group

The UK's Patients Association has dismissed the signing of a "constitution" for the National Health Service as a largely meaningless  exercise, because it is no more than an aspirational document, with no  proper sanctions for non-compliance or resources available to implement  it. The concept is a main plank of the reforms to the  government-managed health care system.

Among the alleged "rights" available to patients under the new  document's provisions are: "a new legal right to receive the  vaccinations that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization  recommends," which previously was the case; "a right making explicit  [the patient's] entitlement to drugs and treatments that have been  recommended by [the National Institute for Health and Clinical  Excellence (NICE)]...if your doctor says they are clinically  appropriate for you," which is potentially more restrictive than  previous arrangements; and "a right to expect local decisions on funding  of other drugs and treatments to be made rationally following a proper  consideration of the evidence;" which has been enforced by the courts  already (Marketletters passim).

"No penalties for failure"