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BBC News
a day ago
- Health
- BBC News
Seven ways the government's plan could change the NHS
Sir Kier Starmer has set out his 10-year-plan to reform the NHS in England, based on a shift from hospitals to neighbourhood health hubs, a new focus on prevention and better use of said the government's 162-page blueprint might be the last chance to put the health service "back on its feet".Here is what the plan could mean in practice. Care on the doorstep The government is promising to set up around 50 new neighbourhood health centres by the end of this parliament and up to 300 by idea is to shift work out of overcrowded hospitals and into local hubs staffed by a mix of GPs, nurses, pharmacists, mental health specialists and other an operation, for example, you might be sent to a local health centre for a check-up rather than back to hospital for an outpatient's is not a new idea. It's been talked about for years as a way of relieving pressure on the NHS and cutting waiting are big questions about the funding of the new service, where the new staff will come from, and how long it will take to roll out. Obesity 'moonshot' The plans include what the government is calling an "ambitious moonshot", aiming to "end the obesity epidemic".There will be "digital NHS points" for people who improve their diet or meet exercise modelled on a Singapore scheme where citizens who walk more, buy healthier foods or go to health screenings can earn points to exchange for e-vouchers to use in supermarkets and elder statesman, Sir Brendan Foster, will spearhead a campaign to get millions walking or running regularly. Access to NHS weight loss services and treatments, including medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, will be planned legislation to ban some supermarket promotions of unhealthy food, including buy-one-get-one-free offers, might be dropped in favour of "smarter regulation, focused on outcomes". New alcohol warnings Expect to see new mandatory warning labels on cans and bottles of alcohol before the next government says this has worked in countries like South Korea to "help consumers make more informed, healthier choices".There will also be a consultation on rule changes to allow very low alcohol drinks, up to 0.5% ABV, to be sold as "alcohol free".At the same time it will "explore options" to ban the sale of zero alcohol products to hasn't impressed the Institute of Alcohol Studies which describes the plan as "frankly embarrassing".It is calling for a minimum price for alcohol to be imposed in England, as is already the case in Scotland and Wales. Dental deserts There's a fresh push to increase access to dental care, a subject always near the top of public concern about the therapists, who tend to carry out some of the more straightforward work of dentists, will be "upskilled" to perform more check-ups, treatments and newly-qualified dentists may soon have to work in the health service for three years before they can move into private has angered the British Dental Association which said the "overwhelming majority" of young dentists do this anyway, and the policy "won't stop a single experienced dentist walking out from the NHS in despair".Longer term, the government promises the NHS dentists' contract, blamed for an acute shortage of staff in many areas, will be reformed. Mental health A&E An extra £120m over five years is promised to develop dedicated mental health A&E total, 85 will be set up across England providing walk-in access or help for people bought in by ambulance or the with mild or moderate needs will be able to access online virtual will also be more money for mental health support in schools and a drive to recruit another 8,500 mental health staff over the next decade to reduce long waits for plan was described as "bold" by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health although it warned success will depend on sustained investment in the workforce. A 'doctor in your pocket' More use will be made of the NHS app to book appointments, order prescriptions and refer patients to local charities and businesses that can offer health said it would be like having a "doctor in your pocket providing advice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week".Your full health record should be available on the app, along with the "red book", which contains a child's health data, including any vaccines they have been will mean doctors can quickly look up a patient's history online rather than having to start from scratch with a new consultation, or ask for records to be emailed to are concerns people who might not have access to the app or a smartphone, such as the elderly, could be excluded. What about social care? The 10-year plan is squarely focused on the NHS and public health and does not directly address the future of the social care Care Workers' Charity called that "deeply concerning" and opposition MPs warned: "You can't fix the NHS without fixing social care".The government has asked Baroness Louise Casey to chair an independent commission on adult social care reform, but that will not start to report back until in the Commons this afternoon, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the government had committed to an extra £4bn on social care funding in the spending review, and would shortly be setting out how it would deliver a fair pay agreement for the care workforce.
Times
2 days ago
- Health
- Times
Starmer's NHS plan promises more GPs and local health hubs
Thousands more GPs and fewer hospital consultants will be trained in an effort to shift healthcare closer to home, the government is set to announce on Thursday. Two hundred new 'neighbourhood health centres' will offer scans, outpatient appointments, mental health therapy and a host of services without the need to go to hospital, under proposals to be outlined in the government's ten-year plan for the NHS. Sir Keir Starmer said the plan would 'fundamentally rewire' the health service, making hospitals a last resort instead of the 'default' for care. He has previously said the NHS must 'reform or die'. He pledged to give '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'. Such goals have been shared by successive governments, however, and health leaders said a lack of detail on how the changes would happen prompted 'doubt on whether the plan will stick' in the long term. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, insisted that the proposals would slash waiting lists for patients and 'turn the NHS on its head'. He aims to create a 'neighbourhood health service' that would provide more care locally and help frail patients stay out of hospital. The plan is a vital moment for Starmer, who has tethered his political fortunes to the NHS with a £30 billion budget boost. He is off track on a promise to treat 92 per cent of routine patients within 18 weeks but promised to deliver on voters' top political priority with a plan for radically better and more efficient care. Among policies included in the plan: • An improved NHS app is to become the 'front door' to the NHS, offering more appointments, test results and advice.• Getting patients back to work will become a core aim of care, with back-to-work targets for NHS groups.• An AI-based 'digital warning system' will issue safety alerts in hospitals.• An expansion of patient choice and more hospital league tables are intended to drive up standards.• British doctors will be given priority for NHS jobs. However, tougher public health restrictions were largely dropped. Under the current NHS workforce plan, hospital consultant numbers are due to increase much faster than family doctors. Streeting will promise to train 'thousands' more GPs by skewing training places more towards family doctors. An updated plan later this year will set out more 'realistic' numbers for hospital doctors to allow for more GPs. • NHS patients face more delays as 'minimum waits' imposed The proposed new health centres would be open six days a week for 12 hours a day, and house teams able to diagnose patients and deliver post-operative care and rehabilitative services. Also on offer would be debt advice, employment support, smoking cessation and weight management. With a health centre for every 250,000 people, the plan aims to end the 'hospital by default' status of the health service, and instead transition to a system where going to hospital is the last resort. This would mean that, initially, care should be digital-first, through the NHS app. Failing that, it should be within a patient's home, then within a neighbourhood care hub and only in a hospital when deemed necessary. Speaking before the launch of the plan, Starmer said Labour had '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 ten-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.' Neighbourhood health centres would be run by GPs in some areas, while in others local trusts or mutuals would be in charge. Ministers are promising an overhaul of internal NHS payments so that services are paid for better outcomes and incentivised to offer cheaper care that keeps people out of hospital. • Starmer promised to fix the NHS. A year on, has he succeeded? Areas that are more deprived and have lower life expectancies will be prioritised for the changes, and the cost of the centres will vary according to their needs. However, the government is facing questions about how the centres will be paid for as ministers explore private financing deals, as well as whether local bosses will embrace fundamental reform when they are under pressure to balance the books and cut waiting lists. Streeting promised 'one of the most fundamental changes in the way we receive our healthcare in history. 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.' Thea Stein, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust think tank, said many NHS services were already working within communities, adding: 'Simply saying that the approach will be rolled out, without full details on how to bring it about, casts doubt on whether it will stick.'
