As the NHS approaches its 70th anniversary the health service has
today published the plan setting out how it will deliver
practical improvements in areas prized by patients and the public
– cancer, mental health and GP access – while transforming the
way that care is delivered to ease pressure on hospitals by
helping frail and older people live healthier, more independent
lives.
These measures, probably the biggest national move towards
integrated care currently underway in any Western country, will
also help to put the service on a more sustainable footing for
the future.
With the NHS under pressure this plan, Next Steps On The NHS Five
Year Forward View, also details an accelerated drive to improve
efficiency and use of technology in order to deliver better care
and meet rising demand within the constraints of available
resources.
Two-and-a-half years on from the publication of the
widely-welcomed NHS Five Year Forward View, the plan spells out
what has been achieved and the changes which will take place
across the health service in key areas:
- Improved
cancer care aimed at saving an extra 5,000 lives a year through
new one-stop testing centres, screening programmes and state of
the art radiotherapy machines.
- Boosting
mental health services by increasing beds for children and young
people to cut out of area care, more beds for new mothers and
more mental health professionals in the community and hospitals
to prevent crisis admissions.
- Better
access to GP services with everyone benefiting from extended
opening in the evenings and weekends, newly designated ‘Urgent
Treatment Centres’ and an enhanced 111 service to ease pressure
on A&Es.
- Better
care for older people by bringing together services provided by
GPs, hospitals, therapists, nurses and care staff, cutting
emergency admissions and time spent in hospitals.
- Driving
efficiency and tackling waste to make money invested in the NHS
go further in delivering the services and staff that patients
want, including the latest treatments and technology.
Launching the plan, NHS England Chief Executive Simon
Stevens said: “Heading into our 70th year, public
support for the NHS is as strong as ever but so too are the
pressures on our frontline staff.
“Today we chart a course for practical care improvements for the
next few years. We do not underestimate the challenges but, get
these right, and patients, staff and the tax-paying public will
notice the benefits.”
The document outlines significant progress made over the last
three years, including record high cancer survival rates, 8,000
extra doctors and nurses, the first ever waiting time standards
for mental health treatment being introduced and met, and cutting
waste – in particular agency staffing bills.
It also, however, frankly sets out where progress has not been as
quick, with rising pressure on A&E and acute wards partly
caused by delayed transfers of care.
Katherine Murphy, Chief Executive of the Patients
Association, said: “We welcome this delivery plan,
and will work with NHS England to ensure it is delivered
successfully and engages with patients nationally and locally.
“This is essential both to ensure that the importance of change
is understood by everyone, and to get input from patients about
how new and re-designed services can meet their needs.
“We call on decision-makers nationally and locally to support
this process, to ensure that NHS services work well for patients
now and in the future.”
Sir David Behan, Chief Executive of the Care Quality
Commission, said: “The NHS and the wider health and
care system needs a clear direction of travel if it is to meet
both the current and future demands of the people across the
country, who deserve nothing less than safe, high quality and
compassionate care. Through our inspections, the case for change
has never been more obvious.
“It is important that leaders across health reach out to their
colleagues in local authorities to break down organisational
barriers so that collectively, they can ensure people’s needs are
always put first.
“The good news is that we are seeing this already through our
inspection findings, with the development of the sustainability
and transformational plans, and with the Government’s additional
investment in social care.
“For the Next Steps on the Five Year Forward View to be a
success, it should not just be seen as a plan for the NHS but for
local authorities to actively engage in too. Only this will bring
about real and sustainable improvements in quality.”
