The new NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England launches | News

The Government's  10 Year Health Plan for England  has been launched, setting out a future plan for the NHS including mental health services.  

The plan aims to reinvent the  approach to healthcare to ensure the NHS will be there for all who need it for generations to come.   

It has been shaped by the experiences and expectations of members of the public, patients, our partners and health and care workforce across the country, reflecting the changes that people wanted to see.   

Through the 'three shifts' – from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention – the 10 year plan aims to personalise care, give more power to patients, and ensure that the best of the NHS is available to all.  

The plan also describes how the NHS aspires to be the very best place to work.  

To support the launch, the NHS Chief Executive has written an open letter to all NHS staff.

Three Key Shifts in Focus:

• From Hospitals to Communities:  Strengthening local services to reduce pressure on hospitals.
• From Analogue to Digital:  Embracing digital tools to modernise care delivery.
• From Sickness to Prevention:  Prioritising early intervention and preventative care.

 

Mental Health Prioritised:  The plan recognises that 1 in 4 people experience mental ill health and places mental health services at the heart of community care. This aligns with our ongoing work to expand access and improve outcomes for service users.

This plan presents a significant opportunity for us to align our digital and community strategies with national priorities.

Key policies for mental health outlined in the plan include:

• A Neighbourhood Mental Health Model, providing open access to specialist services and holistic support in community locations 24 hours a day, seven days a week, is already being piloted in six locations with plans to go further.
• 85 new dedicated mental health emergency departments will be built with £120 million, to ensure people experiencing crisis get effective care.    The NHS    will also redesign urgent and emergency care to avoid the need for unnecessary hospital attendance or admission.
• Patients will get better access to support directly through the NHS App, including self-referral for talking therapies, without needing a GP appointment.    The NHS    will also use AI to support people with depression and anxiety.
• New digital front doors for mental health support and digitised therapies will mean patients no longer have to travel to hospitals or clinics outside of their local area.
• Third-party digital technology will become an asset in personalised care, delivered through the HealthStore. This marketplace will host approved health apps to support people to manage their conditions, including mental health.
• The single patient record will empower clinicians and patients, meaning patients no longer have to relive trauma and to describe their symptoms, and clinicians have a full picture to help determine a diagnosis.
• The NHS    will support people to remain in or return to work who are experiencing poor mental health,       and continue to expand provision of Individual Place and Support schemes to help people with severe mental illness find good work, provide employment support through primary care and offer employment advice to those accessing talking therapies.
• The NHS    will collaborate with businesses, investors, social enterprises, employers and many more to address the mental health crisis engulfing children and young people, and will continue the roll out of Mental Health Support Teams in schools for full coverage by 2029/30.
• The My Children tool will store information about your child in one place, replacing the red book, and the New Young Futures Hubs will ensure there is no “wrong front door” for people seeking help.    The NHS    will also prioritise evaluating digital therapies which could support children and adolescents on mental health waiting lists.
• The NHS    will increase the proportion of funding of research into prevention and detection of physical and mental long-term conditions, by reforming the NIHR and better promote a focus on prevention.

 

You can read the plan in full on the Government's website and watch the  'We're making the NHS fit for the future' video here.