Response to the 10 year plan for the NHS in England

The College has responded to the UK Government’s 10 year plan for the NHS in England. The plan was published on 3 July, setting out a wide range of changes to NHS financial management, accountability and care delivery, which Prime Minister Keir Starmer MP said were “radical and urgent”. The 10 year plan can be read here.

Commenting, Professor Sunil Bhandari, Vice-President for England and Wales (Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh) said:

Today we face an important question: can the 10-year plan help clinicians deliver the right care, in the right place, at the right time? The government’s plan is certainly ambitious in this regard, and we welcome the commitment of measures to move care closer to communities. 

The government’s ambitions must be backed by investment to truly succeed, though – including recruiting and training enough qualified care staff and doctors to deliver more care in the community. The concept of neighborhood health teams – which the government hopes will bring together a range of healthcare professionals - is not a new idea. For example, Integrated Neighbourhood Teams are well established as part of the "Devo Manc" health and social care model in Manchester. 

But given the national shortage of trained doctors, nurses and social care workers, we urge the government to act now to boost staffing and ensure that neighbourhood teams, hospitals and care facilities can properly function, so that the 10 year plan can make an immediate impact for patients. After all, our health and care system is nothing without the people working on the front line every day. They need to be supported for the government’s reform to be successful.

We welcome the pledge that access to medical schools will be expanded to include students from underprivileged backgrounds. Our workforce should mirror – as far as is possible – the population we serve. What is lacking is detail from the government about how many more places for underprivileged students we can expect. Furthermore, the College is encouraged that the government is embracing the use of technology to reduce the administrative burden on doctors - and we look forward to the rollout of AI tools which can assist doctors. However, we are clear that AI cannot replace a doctor’s training and intuition. This should be made apparent in the planned overhaul of the education and training curricula.