National Policy Drivers

There are a number of national policies which are driving decisions in the health service, some of these policies will apply regardless of which sort of service you run whilst others are targeted to specific groups. It is vital that speech and language therapists are familiar with the policy issues surrounding their service, as there are the focus of the commissioners attention and budget.

How to use these pages
There are many different types of national drivers, some are general priorities to improve certain clinical areas and focus on particular issues. Other drivers have quantifiable target deliverables, e.g. 18-week maximum waits. These can be used in combination with activity data to promote your service or request further resources.

While commissioners will be very familiar with health policy they may be less aware of the priorities of other agencies such as DfES. It is recommended that you are proactive in informing commissioners of these issues and their responsibilities to contribute to these aims. Commissioners must ensure that they provide seamless and joined-up care across institutional and geographical boundaries. You should urge commissioners to use their budget in a more flexible way, through joint, pooled or aligned budgets with other government departments.

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