Setting the context for the launch of the 10-Year Plan, Richard Sloggett, founder and programme director, Future Health Research, said it will be published to align with the Government's Spending Review in June.
Sloggett said the Plan was likely to focus on the seven themes identified by Lord Darzi in his November 2024 report, namely: re-engaging staff and empowering patients; locking in the shift of care closer to home by hardwiring financial flows; simplifying and innovating care delivery for a neighbourhood NHS; driving productivity in hospitals; tilting towards technology; contributing to the nation's prosperity; and reform to make the structure to deliver.
Sloggett predicted the announcement of programmes related to the Government's three big shifts, including: using new technologies for personalised health checks and door-to-door health checks targeted at specific communities.
The director said the Plan needed to work ‘practically as well as politically' for the Government given the growing challenge from Reform.
He added that in the short term, the Government's focus would be on the elective waiting list for the next couple of years and warned NHS reorganization would limit progress on some of the Plan in the near term ‘given that it will change people's roles and responsibilities and people will be leaving the system'.
Paul Farmer, chief executive, Age UK, said the Plan should focus on three areas: commitment to neighbourhood teams; shifting NHS spending from hospitals to the community; and a more individual centred patient focus.
Farmer said: ‘There's a real chance in this 10-Year Plan for a preventative approach with help from the voluntary sector.'
Geraldine Hodge, senior specialist adult social care, regulatory leadership, CQC, identified seven priorities for the Plan, namely: empowering people and communities to shape the care they receive; integrating health and social care through place-based partnerships; enhancing safety and quality of care; tackling inequalities; prevention; ideas for change including integrated health and social care digital systems; aligning financial resources with need; and a well-led and supported workforce.
Professor James Kingsland, clinical professor, school of medicine, University of Central Lancashire, said the Plan should include a scaling up of a primary care led neighbourhood NHS.
Prof Kingsland called on the reforms to define NHS neighbourhoods to a population of 30,000-50,000.
Amber Jabbal, director, policy, Royal College of Nursing, commented: ‘There's a bold vision and a clear plan for implementation if we are going to achieve change this time'
Jabbal said community nurses were ‘uniquely placed to achieve the shift to prevention' and could play a ‘hue role in driving digital transformation'.
The RCN director said the Plan should be ‘about empowering the workforce' and called for an increase in community staff numbers.
Ravi Gurumurthy, chief executive, Nesta, warned reforms ‘won't stack up without an ambitious prevention aspect'.
The Nesta boss said primary prevention should be focused on tackling obesity and alcohol.
He said regulating sales of high sugar and salt products could achieve £4bn in NHS savings.
On secondary prevention, Gurumurthy called for the expanded use of e-cigarettes and legislation to raise the age for the use of social media and mobile phones in order to tackle the mental health pandemic.
Louise Ansari, chief executive, Healthwatch, and co-chair of a 10-Year Health Plan Working Group, predicted the Plan will include 24-7 mental health crisis access and improved palliative care.
Ansari added: ‘We think there should be renewed relationships between the NHS and patients with a renewed NHS Constitution.'
She said there were reasons for optimism that the Plan would be fully implemented where others had failed, including: a clear diagnosis of problems; thorough public engagement; and the Government's openness radical change.
