The NHS Long Term Plan: Can it deliver?

The long awaited NHS 10 Year Plan for the English NHS was heralded by the Prime Minister last summer as part of an announcement to increase funding. The requirement for the service was to identify how the NHS could use its present and now enlarged - funding award to deliver care in a future proofed way, over a longer period than ever before. Kate Woodhead RGB, DMSand Chris Shaw examine the plan and ask industry experts how they think it will impact the NHS.

Following a consultation, the subsequent NHS 10 Year Plan is based on responses and the work of a considerable number of experts, as well as patients and members of the public, in the key areas for delivery. This article will outline the headlines and The Clinical Services Journal will add further detail over the coming months, as local plans become more detailed and some of the specifics emerge. 

Initially, the most obvious requirement is with so many vacant posts across the NHS, and it is hard to see how much of the plan can be delivered until more professionals are in place. In addition, the much required social care plan is missing - as is the healthcare workforce strategy - both dependent on the forthcoming spending review. It is expected that by autumn 2019, local immediate plans will be published and new teams for delivery will be beginning to be formed. This will then allow for publication of a detailed national implementation plan.