The new 10-Year Health Plan outlines an ambitious roadmap for the NHS, adding more detail to how the Health Secretary’s three big shifts will be delivered.
For healthcare organisations, patient advocates, businesses, and innovators, there is much to digest and many opportunities. The challenge now is delivering on these plans, scaling what works, and slashing the systemic issues that many feel have historically held the NHS back from adopting the innovations needed to achieve these ambitions.
All of this must be achieved under the political reality that this plan will be judged long before its 10-year horizon. Pressure to address waiting lists and difficulty getting a GP appointment will continue to be a feature right up until the next General Election. Furthermore, despite the funding boost announced at the Spending Review, resources will still be stretched. And, importantly, delivery against existing government missions will need to walk in lockstep with this plan.
To help you navigate all of this, the Tendo health team has provided a snapshot of the key themes and takeaways. If you would like to discuss what the 10-Year Health Plan means for your public affairs, please contact hello@tendoconsulting.co.uk
Here are some takeaways from the 10-Year Health Plan:
1. The Three Big Shifts
The 10-Year Health Plan outlines three major shifts to improve NHS services across England.
These are: Hospital to Community, Analogue to Digital, Sickness to Prevention.
The Department of Health and Social Care noted that these changes would be made by establishing a new operating model of transparency, a new workforce model, as well as taking a different approach to NHS finances.
2. The Introduction of Neighbourhood Health Centres
The Plan announces the introduction of Neighbourhood Health Centres as a means of revitalising access to general practice while allowing hospitals to focus on specialist care. This is to be established in every community for multidisciplinary teams to operate.
3. Unleashing the Power of the NHS App
As part of the shift from analogue to digital, the NHS App is at the centre of patient engagement, with the app being made to be a doctor in patients’ pockets.
Patients will have greater control over their data, with easy access to booking tests, managing medication, as well as providing feedback about their provider and services.
4. Unlocking Technology within the NHS
The Plan outlines the UK’s ambitions to lead on innovation that will accelerate reform in various sectors across life sciences, data and technology, as well as a huge emphasis on utilising AI within and across the NHS.
The Department of Health and Social Care are particularly keen to develop the UK’s standing as a world leader in five transformative technologies: data, artificial intelligence, geonomics, wearables and robotics.
5. Fixing the Finances
The Plan calls for a new focus on a new value-based approach to NHS finances, which will lead to better outcomes for patients as well as incentivise innovation from hospitals to communities.
There will also be the introduction of multi-year budgets which requires NHS organisations to reserve at least 3% of their annual spend for one-time investments in service transformation.
