Values

Patients, public and staff have helped develop this expression of values that inspire passion in the NHS and should guide it in the 21st century. Individual organisations will develop and refresh their own values, tailored to their local needs. The NHS values provide common ground for cooperation to achieve shared aspirations.

Respect and Dignity
We value each person as an individual, respect their aspirations and commitments in life and seek to understand their priorities, needs, abilities and limits. We take what others have to say seriously. We are honest about our point of view and what we can and cannot do.

Commitment to quality of care
We earn the trust placed in us by insisting on quality and striving to get the basics right every time;
 - safety;
 - confidentiality;
 - professional and managerial integrity;
 - accountability;
 - dependable service; and
 - good communication.
We welcome feedback, learn from our mistakes and build on our successes.

Compassion
We respond with humanity and kindness to each person's pain, distress, anxiety or need. We search for the things we can do, however small, to give comfort and relieve suffering. We find time for those we serve and work alongside. We do not wait to be asked, because we care.

Improving lives
We strive to improve health and well-being and people's experiences of the NHS. We value excellence and professionalism wherever we find it - in the everyday things that make people's lives better as much as in clinical practice, service improvements and innovation.

Working together for patients
We put patients first in everything we do, by reaching out to staff, patients, carers, families, communities and professionals outside the NHS. We put the needs of patients and communities before organisational boundaries.

Everyone counts
We use our resources for the benefit of the whole community and make sure nobody is excluded or left behind. We accept that some people need more help, that difficult decisions have to be taken - and that when we waste resources we waste others' opportunities. We recognise that we all have a part to play in making ourselves and our communities healthier.