Background
The NHS Long Term Plan is the National Health Service’s plan to make sure it is fit for the future. It aims to give everyone the best start in life, will deliver world-class care for major health problems such as cancer and mental health, and will help people age well.
The plan, backed by extra investment, has been developed by people who know the NHS best – frontline health and care staff, patients and their families, and other experts – who will continue to shape how it is implemented across the country.
Over the next few months we will be working with patients, the public and partners - including local councils, the voluntary and community sector and social care – to develop local plans to turn the national ambitions contained in the Long Term Plan into real improvements to services and outcomes for patients, building on the progress we’ve already made together over the last few years.
The national priorities which have been identified as part of the Long Term Plan are:
· A new service model for the 21st century
A focus on ‘out of hospital’ care and dissolving the historic divide between primary and community health services
· Reducing pressure on emergency hospital services
· People having control over their own health and more personalised care when they need it
· Digitally enabled primary and outpatient care across the NHS (utilising technology)
· Local NHS systems focusing on population health and moving to Integrated Care Systems
· More NHS action on prevention and health inequalities
Smoking
Obesity
Alcohol
Air pollution
Antimicrobial resistance
Stronger NHS action on health inequalities
· Further progress on care quality and outcomes
A strong start in life for children and young people
Maternity and neonatal services
Children and young people’s mental health services
Learning disability and autism
Children and young people with cancer
Redesigning other health services for children and young people
· Better care for major health conditions
Cancer
Cardiovascular disease
Stroke care
Diabetes
Respiratory disease
Adult mental health services
Short waits for planned care
Research and innovation to drive future outcomes improvement
· NHS staff will get the backing they need
A comprehensive new workforce implementation plan
Expanding the number of nurses, midwives, AHPs and other staff
Growing the medical workforce
International recruitment
Supporting our current NHS staff
Enabling productive working
Leadership and talent management
Volunteers
· Digitally enabled care will go mainstream across the NHS
Empowering people
Supporting health and care professionals
Supporting clinical care
Improving population health
Improving clinical efficiency and safety
· Taxpayers’ investment will be used to maximum effect
The NHS (including providers) will return to financial balance
The NHS will achieve cash-releasing productivity growth of at least 1.1% per year
The NHS will reduce the growth in demand for care through better integration and prevention
The NHS will reduce unjustified variation in performance
The NHS will make better use of capital investment and its existing assets to drive transformation
To read a copy of the national plan and find out more visit www.longtermplan.nhs.uk.
We would like to hear how you think that these priorities can be translated into real improvements to services in Colchester and Tendring.