Final Report > Chapter 22: The Culture of the NHS > Looking to the future

Looking to the future

23 The implications of our analysis are that necessary changes in the culture of healthcare can only be brought about if, at the same time, the root problems of resources and the capacity of managers to manage are comprehensively addressed. We have already referred to resources. We will address the issues of management in detail later. What we concentrate on here are the developments in aspects of the culture which we see as essential to allow the NHS to serve patients. We focus on the need to develop a culture of safety and of quality; a culture of openness and one of accountability; a culture of public service; a culture in which collaborative teamwork is prized; and a culture of flexibility in which innovation can flourish in response to patients' needs.