Reforming primary care in England--again. Plans for improving the quality of care

An extensive programme of health service reform has begun in England. Improvement in the quality of care is a key objective of the reforms, and several initiatives are being introduced in response. These include systems to provide national guidance about appropriate treatment and services, a local system to support quality improvement and arrangements to monitor performance, including a new performance framework, an inspection agency and an annual survey of patients. The local quality improvement system has features of particular interest. These include arrangements for setting objectives for quality improvement, the use of various quality improvement methods tailored to local needs and a new system to provide accountability to both the health service and the public. The introduction of clinical governance and all the other reforms presents primary care practitioners with a major challenge. However, if sufficient time is allowed and adequate resources are made available, the reforms do have the potential to improve health care in England.