Sir Keir Starmer wants to move care into community with 10-year NHS plan

The new plan, which will be published by the Government this morning, sets out how the NHS will move from analogue to digital, treatment to prevention, and from hospital to more community care.

This was based on feedback from thousands of patients and staff, who said they just wanted the basics done well.

The Prime Minister said that the choice for the Government and the health service is “reform or die”.

A key focus is simplifying the experience for patients, improving the efficiency by digitising systems and making it easier to get appointments.

By 2035, the intention is that the majority of outpatient care will happen outside of hospitals, with less need for hospital-based appointments for things like eye care, cardiology, respiratory medicine and mental health.

New neighbourhood health services will be rolled out across the country to bring tests, post-op care, nursing and mental health teams closer to people’s homes.

The aim is to give people access to a full range of services, leaving hospitals to focus on the sickest, with neighbourhood health centres opening at evenings and weekends.

These will be staffed by teams including nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors, palliative care staff and paramedics.

The Yorkshire Post understands that, in particular, the Government hopes these local health centres will help serve rural and coastal regions.

Sir Keir said: “The NHS should be there for everyone, whenever they need it.

“But we inherited a health system in crisis, addicted to a sticking plaster approach, and unable to face up to the challenges we face now, let alone in the future.

“That ends now. Because it’s reform or die. Our 10-year health plan will fundamentally rewire and future-proof our NHS so that it puts care on people’s doorsteps, harnesses game-changing tech and prevents illness in the first place.

“That means giving everyone access to GPs, nurses and wider support all under one roof in their neighbourhood – rebalancing our health system so that it fits around patients’ lives, not the other way round.

“This is not an overnight fix, but our Plan for Change is already turning the tide on years of decline with over four million extra appointments, 1,900 more GPs, and waiting lists at their lowest level for two years.

“But there’s more to come. This Government is giving patients easier, quicker and more convenient care, wherever they live.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said the plan would deliver “one of the most fundamental changes in the way we receive our healthcare in history”.

He added: “By shifting from hospital to community, we will finally bring down devastating hospital waiting lists and stop patients going from pillar to post to get treated.

“This Government’s Plan for Change is creating an NHS truly fit for the future, keeping patients healthy and out of hospital, with care closer to home and in the home.”

In a bid to free up time, GPs will be encouraged to use artificial intelligence to take notes, while technology will be used to speed up the answering of calls to surgeries.

Dental therapists, who tend to carry out some of the straightforward work of dentists, could undertake check-ups, treatment and referrals, according to the plan.

And there will be a new requirement for newly-qualified dentists to practise in the NHS for a minimum period, intended to be three years, according to the Government.

Ministers also want to improve access to dental care for children, such as by allowing dental nurses to give fluoride varnish to children in between check-ups.

The Government insists it is confident this is achievable within a decade, however health experts say promises have been broken before.

Thea Stein, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust, said: “Top quality community services, like district nursing, end of life care and rehabilitation, are, in pockets of the country, already working around the clock to fit care around patients’ needs, working closely with GPs, charities and council staff.

“This approach is essential if we want to end the disjointed ways of working that too often leave patients to do the time-consuming and often bewildering job of joining up their own care.”

She said, however, that a lack of detail on how it will all work “casts doubt on whether it will stick”.

She added: “What’s more, care closer to home doesn’t mean care on the cheap.