The NHS Constitution for England The NHS belongs to the individuals. It exists to improve our health and wellbeing, supporting us to keep mentally and physically well, to improve when we are ill and, when we can not totally recover, to remain as well as we can to the end of our lives. It works at the limits of science - bringing the greatest levels of human understanding and skill to conserve lives and improve health. It touches our lives sometimes of basic human need, when care and compassion are what matter most. The NHS is established on a typical set of principles and values that bind together the communities and individuals it serves - patients and public - and the personnel who work for it. This Constitution establishes the concepts and worths of the NHS in England. It sets out rights to which patients, public and staff are entitled, and pledges which the NHS is devoted to accomplish, together with responsibilities, which the public, patients and staff owe to one another to ensure that the NHS runs relatively and efficiently. The Secretary of State for Health, all NHS bodies, private and voluntary sector service providers providing NHS services, and local authorities in the workout of their public health functions are required by law to take account of this Constitution in their decisions and actions. References in this document to the NHS and NHS services include regional authority public health services, however references to NHS bodies do not include regional authorities. Where there are distinctions of detail these are described in the Handbook to the Constitution. The Constitution will be renewed every ten years, with the participation of the public, clients and personnel. It is accompanied by the Handbook to the NHS Constitution, to be restored a minimum of every 3 years, setting out present assistance on the rights, promises, responsibilities and duties established by the Constitution.