The NHS Constitution, which we referred to in our post about NHS Employers speeches yesterday, has sought to codify the rights and responsibilities of patients and staff within the NHS. A key recommendation of Lord Darzi and High Quality Care for All, the Constitution was always meant to be an open document, developing with the service and the expectations of those who use it.

News that a new consultation on patients’ rights has been launched should come as no surprise, then. NHS Constitution: A Consultation On New Patient Rights Consultation On New Patient Rights is seeking views on proposed rights and future areas of expansion.

The specific proposals under consultation include the creation of legal maximum waiting times for cancer patients, and the guarantee of a five-yearly NHS Health Check for patients aged between 40 and 74. and 74.”Waiting times are the shortest they have ever been,” the Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, said upon the launch of the consultation, “but I want to build on this and give patients a legal right to maximum waiting times. Turning targets into legal rights will empower patients and guarantee them the same high standards of care, regardless of where they live.”

Not only that, but views on future rights - such as the right to die at home, or the right to acces to NHS dentistry or a GP Practice offering extended opening hours -  are welcome, too. The online response form is here.