BMJ  2008;336:66 (12 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.39454.706563.DB

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Prime minister’s office denies plans to withhold treatment from people with unhealthy lifestyles

¹ London

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Gordon Brown has signalled his intention to create a bill of rights for NHS patients, sparking fears that people who lead "unhealthy" lifestyles might be denied treatment.

In a letter sent to all NHS staff last week, to mark the start of the health service’s 60th anniversary year, Mr Brown praised staff for their achievements. But he said that the NHS needed to be as much about prevention as about treatment if it was to survive another 60 years.

Important to this shift in emphasis were early advice, information, and support. These, he said, would not only enable sick people to exercise more choice and control but also help the well take greater responsibility for staying healthy.

The government was looking at how such changes "can be enshrined in a new constitution of the NHS, setting out for the first time the rights and responsibilities associated with an entitlement to . . . [Full text of this article]

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