Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary has called on the public to share their ideas about the future of the NHS.
The government has branded this “the largest national conversation on the future of NHS since its inception”. Responses gathered from now until the start of next year will be used to shape the 10-Year Plan for Health of the Government, which aims to “fix” the NHS.
The NHS app has a new platform for collecting feedback, Change.NHS.uk.
The government announced that the 10 Year Health Plan would be published in spring of 2025. It will include three major shifts in healthcare: from hospital to community care, from analogue to electronic, and from sickness to prevention.
The government plans to build new neighbourhood health centers, closer to the homes and communities, as part of its first shift “from hospital to community”.
It has been announced that patients will be able see GPs as well as district nurses, careworkers, physiotherapists and health visitors.
The intention is to create a digital NHS that will allow for a single record of patient information. This includes test results and letters, all in one place.
In England, new laws will be introduced that will make all NHS patient records accessible to all NHS trusts and GP practices.
The government wants to reduce the time spent in poor health by people and to prevent illness before it occurs.
The 10 Year Health Plan, for example, will examine how wearable technology and smart watches can help patients with diabetes and high blood pressure monitor their health at home.
Keir starmer, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, said: “We are working on a plan to fix our health service. But it is important that we listen to the people who depend on it every day. We want to hear their opinions and help shape the plan. Together, we can create a healthcare system which puts the patients first and provides care to everyone.
Streeting said: “I urge all of you to visit Change.NHS.uk and help us create a future-proof health service.”
This massive public consultation was launched following the publication of Lord Ara Darzi’s independent health service review. The report also recommended that the healthcare system be reoriented towards a preventative approach.
Lord Darzi, speaking of the new plan, said: “My recent investigation revealed that the NHS needs urgent and fundamental reform.” The 10 Year Health Plan is released at a critical time. By describing the ultimate goal for the health system, it will improve decision-making now.
Separately the Health Foundation, a health think tank, has released research that argues the NHS faces four major structural challenges. These are fragmentation, lack of clear leadership in the system; lack political independence; as well as limited cross-government cooperation.
The foundation highlighted Matt Hancock’s decision to dissolve Public Health England during the Covid-19 pandemic and replace it with UK Health Security Agency to focus on health protection and Office for Health Improvement and Disparities to focus on health improvement.
The foundation stated that the government must decide whether it will create a new executive agency for public health with a dual mandate of health protection and improvement, or introduce measures to ensure better coordination among existing structures while enabling greater accountability and independence.
Prioritising prevention and health is a choice made by politicians. Existing public health structures could be made more effective by a new government that provided them with more resources, and facilitated cross-government collaboration through the health mission board.
Without additional structural changes in England, public health programmes and systems at the national and regional levels would be vulnerable to deprioritisation and become less effective. The government can instead create public health structures with the levers, resilience and stability required to address the nation’s long-term challenges.
The foundation recommends that a properly resourced public health workforce is essential to any national prevention program.
It said that a national workforce plan for public health was needed to complement the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.
The foundation also projected that by 2040 more than seven millions people in England would be suffering chronic pain, up from just five million in 2019. Musculoskeletal disorders, arthritis, backpain and osteoporosis are the main drivers behind this trend.
The analysis concluded that those aged 50-69 would be most affected. Some may even become so in pain they are unable to work.
The NHS will need to rethink its approach in caring for patients, focusing more on prevention and community-based care.
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