10 Year Health Plan brings NHS ‘closer to home’

Millions of patients will be treated and cared for closer to home by new teams of health professionals as part of the government’s 10 Year Health Plan.

New Neighbourhood Health Services will:

• offer diagnostics, mental health, post-op, rehab and nursing – sometimes all under one roof
• open at evenings and weekends
• set up in local communities across the country
• include staff such as nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors, palliative care staff and paramedics
• improve access to the NHS by shifting care out of hospitals and into the community
• free up hospitals to focus on cutting-edge and personalised care
• trial innovative outreach schemes through community health workers and volunteers.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Our 10 Year Health Plan will fundamentally rewire and future-proof our NHS so that it puts care on people’s doorsteps, harnesses game-changing tech and prevents illness in the first place.

“That means giving everyone access to GPs, nurses, and wider support all under one roof in their neighbourhood – rebalancing our health system so that it fits around patients’ lives, not the other way round.”

• Read the full press release on the government’s website.
• Watch a video about the plan on the Department of Health and Social Care’s X account.
• Watch a video of Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer at NHS England talking about the plan on NHS England’s X account.
• Further reaction to the plan will be issued this afternoon.

New health centres will house the neighbourhood teams, which will eventually be open 12 hours a day, six days a week within local communities.

They will not only bring historically secondary care services into the community, but will also offer services like debt advice, employment support and stop smoking or weight management.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting said: “By shifting from hospital to community, we will finally bring down devastating hospital waiting lists and stop patients going from pillar to post to get treated.”

Sir James Mackey, Chief Executive of NHS England, said: “The Neighbourhood Health Service is a huge opportunity for us to transform how we deliver care over the next decade – starting right on people’s doorsteps.

“By bringing together a full range of clinicians as one team, we can deliver care that’s more accessible, convenient and better for patients, as well as reducing pressures on hospitals.”

Other key points:

• Thousands more GPs will be trained as part of plans to end 8am scrambles for appointments.
• AI scribes will support GPs by reducing the need for clinical notetaking, letter drafting and manual data entry.
• Digital telephone systems will ensure calls to GP practices are answered quickly – those who need it will get a digital or telephone consultation on the same day they request it.
• New contracts will encourage and allow GP practices to cover wider geographical areas, giving more support to smaller practices so everyone can access their GP when they need to.

Reaction

Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “Delivering on this ambition will require sustained investment in digital and estates, support for the NHS’s workforce, and a commitment to decentralise national control by empowering local leaders to do what is best for their populations. On behalf of our members, we are eager to work with the government to help turn this bold vision into lasting change.”

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK said. “At Age UK we aspire to an NHS that proactively supports older people to stay as well as is possible for as long as possible, and if delivered well the Neighbourhood Health Service really could help achieve it.”

Daniel Elkeles, Chief Executive of NHS Providers, said: “This is a recipe that offers the prospect of progress where previous plans have faltered. That is a great starting point and all NHS providers will be keen to seize this opportunity to build a better health service that staff, patients and the public are once again proud of.”

Jacob Lant, Chief Executive of National Voices said: “To ensure no communities are left behind, it is vital that Neighbourhood Health Services look to develop this new offer in partnership with the voluntary sector and the full diversity of citizens that make up the communities they serve.”

Gemma Peters, Chief Executive at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “This vision to bring care closer to home is what both the public and the NHS need. 3.5 million people are living with cancer today, rising to 4 million by 2030. Without radical change, the NHS cannot meet this growing demand, or ensure that – whoever you are, wherever you live – you can access the care, support and treatment you need when you need it.”

Rachel Power, Chief Executive, the Patients Association said: “We’re pleased to see the commitment to training thousands more GPs and look forward to a sustainable workforce strategy to support the delivery of these expanded services, along with clarity on how quickly these centres will be rolled out. We remain committed to ensuring genuine patient partnership underpins the design and delivery of these services, so they truly reflect what patients need in their local communities.”

10 Year Health Plan stories digest

In the build up to today’s announcement there have been several other updates from the government on what to expect as the plan is put into action.

Below is a short digest covering some of these updates:

• ‘Innovator passports’ set to accelerate cutting-edge NHS care (2 July 25)
  A new ‘innovator passport’ – to be introduced over next two years – will allow new technology that has been robustly assessed by one NHS organisation to be easily rolled out to others.
• Healthy food revolution to tackle obesity epidemic (29 June 25)
  Food retailers and manufacturers will ‘make the healthy choice the easy choice’ to tackle the obesity epidemic and ease pressure on the NHS.
• Landmark plan to rebuild NHS in working-class communities (25 June 25)
  Billions of pounds is being diverted to working-class communities and deprived areas where medical resources are desperately needed as part of the 10 Year Health Plan.

NHS App overhaul will break down barriers to healthcare and reduce inequalities (25 June 25)
The NHS App will be transformed so it gives every patient – whatever their postcode or background – information, choice and control of their own healthcare so they have the best information at their fingertips.