ABSTRACT
The approach of recent Labour governments has been to set national targets for the National Health Service (NHS) to deliver locally, which has strengthened this trend. The Coalition government has a contrasting approach. The intention is to focus on outcomes of care that are particularly important to local people. Parliament is responsible for approving legislation and forming the framework in which the health service operates. Parliament determines the budget to be spent on health and healthcare, and holds the Department of Health (DH) to account for its spending of taxpayers’ money and operation of the NHS. The DH is a government department, headed by the Secretary of State for Health. It is based in London and Leeds and is accountable to the public through parliament. The DH does not directly deliver health or social care services to the public; it works with delivery partners, including the NHS, local government and arm’s-length bodies.
