NHS Chief Executive Sir David Nicholson has written to NHS staff about transition arrangements, following the passing of the Health and Social Care Bill.
Sir David says the passage of the Bill provides clarity and certainty about future direction and that ‘the onus now switches to the health and care system and the complex and challenging task of implementing the changes on the ground’.
He outlines the ‘important progress’ already made in laying the groundwork for transition and emphasises the strong platform on which the NHS can build.
He also sets out the overall approach to the movement of staff between the old and new systems, saying that how this is managed is critical to the success of the transition.
‘The complexity and scale of the agenda we all face over the next 12 months is very significant,’ says Sir David. ‘We must keep focused on the overall purpose of the changes we are making: to deliver great outcomes for our patients. That is our over-riding goal and we must work together over the next year to build a system that can continue to deliver it.’
Read Sir David’s letter in a special edition of the month