Government publishes NHS 10-year health plan for England

Healthwatch Wokingham
Jul 31
4 min read

Updated: Aug 12

We look at what this means for you and Healthwatch

The government has now published a 10-Year NHS Health Plan for England ‘Fit for the Future.’ This is a plan for how health and care services should change and improve over the next 10 years across England. Over 250,000 people shared their views.

Essentially, the plan is based on three changes the government wants to bring in over the next 10 years:

Hospital to community
Sickness to prevention
Analogue to digital

Many of the ideas in the plan reflect what Healthwatch Wokingham Borough and Healthwatch England have championed for years, which includes:

Better access to GPs and NHS dentists
A bigger role for community pharmacies
Improvements to make the NHS app better
A simpler complaints system
Personalised mental health emergency care

If done correctly and well, these changes will make a real difference to everyone’s care; easier to access information, manage appointments and navigate services.

Hospital to community

This means bringing more health services and care into local communities - 'Neighbourhood Health.' The government hopes this will improve access, reduce pressure on services and support people to stay healthy at home, especially for older people and those with long-term conditions.

New Neighbourhood Health Centres will be created and act as ‘one stop shops’ for patient care in every community. They will be open at least 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, bringing together NHS, local authority/council and voluntary sector services.

Hospital-based services such as post-operation care and rehabilitation will be available to patients in the community alongside other services such as, debt advice, employment support and weight management.

Sickness to prevention

The government wants the NHS to shift its focus from treating illness to actively preventing illness so that people can stay healthier for longer. This involves tackling the root causes of poor health. For example, smoking, obesity and alcohol misuse with special dedicated services.

Such services would include (but not the full list) specialist alcohol care teams, stop smoking services, personalised prevention plans, earlier intervention/support for mental health conditions, introducing incentive schemes for healthy eating and movement, expanding free school meals for families in receipt of Universal Credit and regulating food advertising.

There are also important changes that focus on children’s health, including better access to dental care and mental health support.

Analogue to digital

The NHS app plays a key role in the plan, with new functions to be added to help people manage their health and care, access information and give feedback. The aim is to give people greater control over their health by giving them the tools and information they need to manage their health.

The plan includes other digital changes, such as single patient records and using artificial intelligence (AI) to help medical staff/professionals manage their workload.

Here at Healthwatch Wokingham Borough, we have concerns about the significant emphasis on digital; what will this mean for patients who don’t have access to a mobile phone, computer, or Wi-Fi, don’t know how to use websites, apps, or email, can’t afford internet or a device and/or struggle with digital skills, like filling out online forms or using video calls.

In our GP access report we found that whilst digital tools like the NHS App are designed to simplify access to GP services, many patients, particularly older adults and those without strong digital skills, found them difficult to use, with some respondents finding the technology complicated, leading to more barriers to care and services rather than solutions.

Watch the video (with BSL) below to find out more about the NHS 10-year plan.

The plan also includes major changes to how patient feedback is heard.

Healthwatch England and local Healthwatch will be closing. The plan proposes:

Shutting down Healthwatch England, the national body that supports local Healthwatch teams and closing down the local network of 153 Healthwatch, including Healthwatch Wokingham Borough
Moving local Healthwatch health work into NHS Integrated Care Boards (those who manage the NHS spend locally) and NHS 'provider engagement' teams
Passing Healthwatch's social care functions to local councils (also known as local authorities).
Appointing a new National Director of Patient Experience, combining parts of Healthwatch and the Patient Safety Commissioner
Replacing feedback with digital feedback through the NHS App, with systems expected to be in place by 2026.

Since 2012, Healthwatch has been the independent champion for patients and the public. Our independence means we can speak honestly to build critical and collaborative partnerships across the NHS and local authority, to improve services for everyone across the borough and Berkshire West. We have helped thousands of people to:

Make informed decisions about their health and care
Share their experiences and views to shape and improve local health and social care services
Navigate complex NHS systems

We are constantly pushing for better access, quality and safety for everyone in the borough and beyond. Our projects and detailed reports are respected and acted upon by commissioners and service providers, and we have built well-earned trust within the local communities.

We’re still here, we are still listening

A lot needs to happen before anything will change for Healthwatch. The Government needs to outline how this will happen and change the law. This means that we are still here, open, and working for local people.

We continue to:

Listen to your experiences of health and social care.
Share what we hear with those in power to help improve services.
Provide advice and information to help you find the support you need.

Click here to read our statement about the closure of Healthwatch.

You can find out more about how we united with 131 Healthwatch across England to sign a letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care about the closure of the Healthwatch network, just click here.