The DoH has pledged 'relentless' focus on improving outcomes and reducing health inequalities.
The framework sets out the key areas of care that the NHS will focus on in order to improve patient outcomes.
A separate commissioning outcomes framework will set targets for GP consortia. This will also be used to hold the NHS Commissioning Board to account on outcomes performance. The board will then translate national priorities into local goals through the NHS Commissioning Outcomes Framework, which will be used to hold GP consortia to account.
The NHS Outcomes Framework focuses on tackling inequalities in five domains:
- preventing people from dying prematurely
- enhancing the quality of life for people with long-term conditions
- helping people to recover from episodes of ill health or following injury
- ensuring that people have a positive experience of care
- ensuring people are treated in a safe environment and protecting them from avoidable harm.
Health secretary Andrew Lansley said: ‘Our ambition is to achieve health outcomes at least as good as any in the world. To achieve this, we need to focus on outcomes and their robust, continuing measurement.
He added: ‘Our focus on improving health outcomes will give the NHS, public health organisations and local government a benchmark for what the public expects to see from their health services.’
Proposals for the Public Health Outcomes Framework will also be published later on Monday following a recent consultation.
