'Everyone counts: planning for patients 2013/14'

The NHS Commissioning Board published Everyone counts: planning for patients 2013/14, emphasising the importance of clinical leadership: 'The new system gives pride of place to clinical leaders. From top to bottom and across the country it assumes liberty - freedom for you to take clinical ownership and leadership, and for local communities and commissioners to decide for themselves how best to deliver care.

'Although we will retain oversight in order to assure responsibilities are being met, we will not sit above you issuing operating instructions - we will stand with you, helping you to carefully allocate valuable public resources to secure the best possible outcomes for patients.'

The document outlined the incentives and levers available to commissioners to improve services from April 2013.

The guidance set out five 'offers':

• moving to 7-day availability of routine NHS services
• achieving greater transparency and choice for patients
• encouraging greater patient participation
• producing better data to help improve services
• providing higher standards and safer care.

The guidance emphasised the importance of creating a system that was patient-focused, worked to reduce health inequalities, and treated people with dignity and respect.

It also prioritised joined-up working, especially through local health and wellbeing boards, to ensure the best use of resources through integrated service commissioning and delivery and gaining a comprehensive overview of local needs.