The NHS has announced its Long Term Plan which covers the next ten years. The plan includes extensive measures including measures that will hopefully prevent 150,000 heart attacks, dementia cases and strokes. The initiative hopes to improve patient care and outcomes using the annual £20.5 billion budget that the government has issued for the next five years.
What is the Long Term Plan?
The NHS Long Term Plan has been developed alongside frontline staff, patients and families. Thanks to the extra £20.5 billion funding that the government is issuing every year, the plan hopes to ensure the health service can benefit millions of patients as well as the hard-working NHS staff.
Matt Hancock, the Health and Social Care Secretary, says; “This government has given the NHS the multi-billion-pound investment needed to nurture and safeguard our nation’s health service for generations to come.”
At the launch, the Prime Minister, Theresa May said; “The launch of the NHS Long Term Plan marks a historic step to secure its future and offers a vision for the service for the next ten years, with a focus on ensuring that every pound is spent in a way that will most benefit patients. This will help relieve pressure on the NHS while providing the basis to transform care with world-class treatments.”
How will the Long Term Plan help the future of the NHS?
The focus of the plan is to ensure the future of the NHS. Some of the goals mentioned in the Long Term Plan include;
- Helping everyone to enjoy the best start in life
- Ensuring people can age well
- Promoting living well in communities
- Increasing the workforce of the NHS
- Mental health services to support 350,000 more children and young adults
- Cutting waste to ensure taxpayers’ money is used efficiently
- Improving outcomes for major diseases
What measures are included in the Long Term Plan?
There are many measures set out in the Long Term Plan including;
- Improving digital health services
- Ensuring every patient in England can access a digital GP
- Providing more personalised care for older patients
- Building stronger community care and primary care services
- Improving out-of-hospital care
- Supporting community health services and primary medical services
- Helping children to get the best start in life through maternity ward improvements
- Halving the number of stillbirths, maternal, neonatal deaths and serious brain injuries by 2025.
You can access the full version of the NHS Long Term Plan here.
