Prior to the publication of the interim report, “Our NHS, Our Future: NHS Next Stage Review” copies of which are available in the Library, Lord Darzi: visited and spoke to 1,500 national health service staff in 17 NHS organisations across the country;
on 18 September 2007, took part in a nationwide day of detailed discussions on the priorities for the NHS with 1,000 patients, public and health and social care staff in nine different towns and cities;
met with representatives of 250 stakeholder groups representing the full diversity of our population and staff;
read more than 1,400 letters and e-mails from people up and down the country; and
brought together over 2,000 clinicians to form clinical working groups in every part of the country to focus on discussing how best to plan and provide care for patients.
The interim report was based on these views, visits and discussions.
Each deliberative event on 18 September was attended by a regionally representative sample of members of the public (demographic data were taken from census data), with specific quotas set on health status (including use of certain services in the past two years). This ensured that there was a broad mix of members of the public, many of whom had used services and were in a position to give views based on their own experience of health care provision. Participants were recruited off the street, to ensure a wide representation of the public. Members of NHS staff were nominated to attend by their strategic health authority.