Kate Woodhead RGN DMS discusses the future of the NHS and the debate around the ten-year plan. The Prime Minister has said the NHS needs ‘major surgery not just sticking plaster solutions’, but with an exhausted and demoralised workforce, will some of the proposed solutions for change be the final straw for some?
There has been a great deal of activity and many pronouncements about the future reform to the NHS after the deliberations by Professor Lord Darzi of Denham were published in mid-September1 after his speedy nine-week review. There has been a speech by Wes Streeting,2 the new Labour Health and Care Secretary of State, and also by the Prime Minister3 — all focused on how to fix the 'broken but not beaten' NHS.
There is no doubt that the NHS is in some trouble with productivity going down and waiting times for urgent care in A&E, as well as surgery and mental health, all rising exponentially. This is, as all speeches and reports say, not the fault of the clinical service and its workforce, but due to many other factors way beyond their control.
There are plans to change this all by the compilation of a ten-year health plan — to be published sometime in the spring of 2025. There is an ambition to include a large range of voices in the consultation which can be added to by visiting https://change.nhs.uk and making a contribution. The public, organisations and professionals are urged to add their ideas in order to make a difference.
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