A world class health service based on core values

As the largest public sector employer and indeed, the largest employer in Europe, the NHS has significant responsibilities: it’s our job to bring together a diverse workforce that serves our equally diverse communities and that shares cultural values essential to providing the best services possible.

Through a wide consultation process with staff and the public, the Department of Health has identified the NHS values, and our leadership programmes have been designed with these in mind.

Our values are represented by the core principles of care are:

• The NHS will provide a universal and comprehensive service
  with equal access for all; free at the point of use, based on
  clinical need, not ability to pay;

• We will help keep people healthy and work to reduce health
  inequalities;

• We will work continuously to improve quality and safety;

• We will strive for the most effective and sustainable use of
  resources;

• We will treat every patient with dignity and respect;

• We will shape our services around the needs and preferences
  of individual patients, their families and their carers;

• We are committed to equality and non-discrimination;

• We will support and value our staff;

• We will work in partnership with others to ensure a seamless
  service for patients; and,

• We will respect the confidentiality of individual patients and
  provide open access to information about services, treatment
  and performance.

Find out more about the NHS Core Principles.

Diversity and the importance of personalisation of care

Fair and equal access to services is a right of every NHS patient, regardless of their ethnic origin or where they live in the UK.

Sometimes this means providing additional or different kinds of services, for example professional interpreters and patient advocates, to make sure all sectors of society are able to benefit from the NHS in the same way and to help patients make informed choices about their treatment and care options.