A long-term plan for your NHS

It explains how the NHS will spend the extra money committed by government for healthcare services.

NHS England leaders say that the Long Term Plan could save up to 500,000 lives over the next ten years by focusing on prevention and early detection.

The plan comes after the Government announced the NHS budget would be increased by £20bn a year by 2023. The biggest funding increases will be seen in GPs, mental health and community care.

We particularly welcome the emphasis on mental health services, especially for children and young people, and other long term conditions such as diabetes.

We are also pleased to see that there will be a focus on building local networks in communities, with a commitment to making services simpler and easier for people to use. The use of new technologies has the potential to help people stay healthy and have more control over their health and care.

At Healthwatch, we will be looking closely at how the plan develops to make sure there are meaningful opportunities for people to have their say. As part of this, we will be visiting groups and communities over the next few weeks to find out what you think about the plan.

Our Chair, Val Moore, said

‘We welcome the opportunity for more conversations in local communities and for groups of patients about how change should be taken forward.

‘Nationally, Healthwatch have made a big contribution to these plans. NHS England has listened to feedback from 85,000 people and this includes the feedback from people in our area.

‘We will continue to listen to people locally and feedback their experiences as the plan develops and turns into real change.’