PATIENTS and the public throughout Worcestershire are being invited to have their say on the future of the NHS.

A draft constitution that enshrines the principles and values of the NHS for the future was published for consultation by the Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson, at the end of June.

Now Worcestershire Prim-ary Care Trust (PCT) is seeking the views of the local population in order to feed back to the Department of Health.

The first of its kind in the world, the constitution follows extensive discussions with staff, patients and the public over the last year.

The Government will be obliged by law to renew the NHS constitution every 10 years so that any changes are the result of a full and transparent debate and cannot be changed by stealth. A new legal duty will be placed on all NHS organisations to take account of the constitution in decisions that are made.

Simon Trickett, head of communications and comm-unity engagement at Worces-tershire PCT, said: “This is a great opportunity for local patients and the public to have their say on their NHS. The draft constitution is not set in stone but is a good basis for further consultation.

“As it states at the outset, the NHS belongs to the people. I would therefore urge everyone with an interest in preserving what’s best about the NHS, as well as ensuring that it is fit for the future, to participate in the consultation and tell us what they think.”

The constitution collects together important patient rights around access to drugs and treatments, health services, information, quality of care and environment, dignity and respect and complaint and redress. The draft constitution and leaflets explaining more can be accessed at dh.gov.uk/consultations.

More information on the NHS Constitution will be at Worcestershire Primary Care Trust’s annual meeting and health fair at Kidderminster Town Hall on September 11, from 10am to 3pm.

The public consultation is going on until October 17. All feedback should go to pct.communications@worcspct.nhs.uk.