“The 10 Year Health Plan will set out how to create a truly modern health service designed to meet the changing needs of our changing population”
The NHS has launched ‘Change NHS’ to hear the public’s views, experiences, and ideas which will shape a new 10 Year Health Plan for England. The consultation will run until spring 2025. Find out how you can have your say, at https://change.nhs.uk/en-GB/.
The 10 Year Health Plan will set out how to create a truly modern health service designed to meet the changing needs of our changing population. This will be focused on the three shifts that the government, health service, and experts agree need to happen. This includes:
- moving care from hospitals to communities
- making better use of technology
- focussing on preventing sickness, not just treating it
Shift 1: Moving care from hospitals to communities
What challenges does this shift address?
- people are living longer but with more complex health conditions
- treating people in hospital is expensive – and this is where most of the NHS budget is spent. Wait times for A&E, hospital treatments and mental health services are longer than ever
What could this shift include?
- moving from delivering lots of care in hospitals, to more care in communities, for example, providing more health services at places like GP clinics, pharmacies, local health centres, and in people’s homes
- this may involve adapting or extending clinics, surgeries and other facilities in our neighbourhoods, so they can provide things that are mostly delivered in hospitals at the moment
- this could help people lead healthier and more independent lives, reducing the likelihood of serious illness and long hospital stays
Shift 2: Making better use of technology
What challenges does this shift address?
- some parts of the NHS are still dependent on paper and pagers, slow computers and outdated software
- slow and uneven adoption of new technology means access to the latest treatments often depends on where you live
- it’s harder to retain talented NHS staff, if they aren’t able to access the technology that they need to help them do their job
What could this shift include?
Improving how we use technology across health and care could have a big impact on services in the future.
Examples might include:
- investing in digital technology such as imaging machines and scanners
- using shared electronic records to improve the patient experience and make it easier for staff
- investing in AI tools to predict health outcomes and identify disease more quickly and accurately
- virtual appointments with healthcare professionals
Shift 3: Focusing on preventing sickness not just treating it
What challenges does this shift address?
Spotting illness earlier and tackling the causes of ill health could help people stay healthy and independent for longer and take pressure off health and care services. More could be done to help the nation stay healthier for longer. For example:
- smoking is the cause of 25% of cancer deaths
- more than half of our nation are overweight or obese
- levels of poor mental health are rising
What could this shift include?
- increased screening services to identify early stages of diseases
- more support for those wanting to quit smoking and prevent the development of lung cancer
- weight management programmes to encourage people to live healthier lifestyles and prevent obesity
https://change.nhs.uk/en-GB/projects/three-shifts