This report looks at how the Patients' Charter has worked in the past and and what patients and NHS staff would like to see covered in a future health charter. It is based on research commissioned by the NHS Executive and the King's Fund to help the Labour government review the Patients' Charter. The evidence was collected from literature, in-depth interviews, focus groups with patients, carers and staff in a wide range of institutions and organisations, and interviews with representatives from vulnerable groups, such as homeless people, refugees, people from minority ethnic communities and disabled people. These people's views and experiences of the existing Charter offer insights into one of the most controversial initiatives of the Conservative government.