In Member News
We all know there are big challenges facing the NHS.
On 12 September, Lord Darzi published his independent review of the NHS which revealed the scale of the challenge we face. Our NHS is under rising pressure; we are diagnosing ill health too late and not doing enough to prevent it in the first place. It is too hard for people to get an appointment, hospitals are overcrowded, NHS workers are overstretched, and costs are escalating.
This is why Health and Social Secretary Wes Streeting has launched Change NHS: help build a health service fit for the future: a national conversation to develop the 10-Year Health Plan.
Over the coming months, you have the opportunity to help co-design this Plan. There is a commitment to providing unprecedented levels of transparency to the policy making process and targeting those whose voices often go unheard.
There is a national portal found at change.nhs.uk to share your experiences and ideas, or simply click on the link below.
Deadline for response to the initial questions is 2nd December to allow analysis of the responses, to help shape the next phase of engagement.
For decades, there has been broad consensus that to overcome the challenges facing the NHS, we must focus on providing more care in the community, so hospitals are able to treat the sickest patients, make better use of technology, and do more to prevent ill health.
A different approach is needed if we are to make these crucial shifts and deliver an NHS fit for the future. So, the national engagement exercise has been launched, to develop the 10-Year Health Plan. The public and staff will be at the centre of reimagining the NHS, as well as experts from across the health and care landscape, like you. The changes made must be felt in all our day-to-day lives.
This is a once in a generation opportunity to set the NHS on a path for the future. Thank you in advance for your support in shaping the future of healthcare.