NHS Confederation responds to government’s ten-year health plan

Responding to the government’s announcement that the ten-year plan will kickstart a major shift of care out of hospitals and into local communities, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said:

“The ten-year health plan is a landmark moment for both the NHS and wider health and care system. We welcome its bold ambitions, and our members stand ready to work in partnership with the government and NHS England to make the vital reforms needed to put the NHS on a long-term sustainable footing. The reality is that without the radical action outlined in the plan, the NHS as a universal service is in unprecedented danger.

“A key part of making sure this plan is successful will be resetting the relationship between the NHS and the public so that local communities are placed at the heart of these reforms and people are supported to be active agents in their own health and wellbeing.

“Health leaders fully support the commitment to shift more care out of hospitals and into the community. Boosting neighbourhood health services is a vital step towards a more preventative, community-based NHS. Bringing care closer to people’s homes through neighbourhood health teams recognises the complex and interconnected challenges many patients face.

“Delivering on this ambition will require sustained investment in digital and estates, support for the NHS’s workforce, and a commitment to decentralise national control by empowering local leaders to do what is best for their communities. Extra capital funding will be vital if the NHS is going to be able to develop new community health centres. That is why we have welcomed the government’s commitment to invest further capital funding and to explore how private investment can be channelled into the NHS.”