Yesterday saw the unveiling of the government’s long-awaited 10-Year Health Plan which sets out in detail their roadmap for transforming the healthcare landscape. It has been in the works for the better part of a year, with significant input from across the healthcare sector. Such is its importance that many have argued the government’s chances of re-election will depend on its success.
As the dust begins to settle, we can now examine the proposed measures in-depth and ask the key question: could it do more to support our NHS?
The 10-Year Health Plan is underpinned by three core objectives, namely moving from analogue to digital, from hospital to communities and from sickness to prevention. Steps to achieve these include plans to increase the use of AI for both patients and clinicians, a greater emphasis on neighbourhood health contracts, and retail strategies to prevent obesity.
The proposals are bold and the MDU largely welcomes many of the initiatives the government has put forward. We fully support the focus on prevention and the steps being taken to reduce pressures on emergency care. However, uncertainty remains about how the plan will be implemented. There is no additional funding to deliver the plan; funds will instead be secured via reforms such as changing to the Carr-Hill formula for GP funding to redirect funds towards more economically deprived areas.
The MDU has long argued that one of the best ways that the government could free up additional capital to spend on frontline services is by reforming clinical negligence regulation.
Two clear examples of this are the implementation of a system of fixed recoverable costs (FRC) for cases valued up to £25,000. This would limit how much claimant lawyers can claim from the NHS and would bring the system in line with that used in other personal injury cases. The government’s own forecast is that this would save £454 million over a 10-year period – a significant boost towards the finances available for the implementation of the Plan.
Additionally, the government could look to repeal section 2(4) of the Law Reform (Personal Injuries) Act 1948 – legislation that pre-dates the NHS and demands that courts disregard its existence when awarding compensation. This law effectively means that the NHS pays double in many cases – once for the assumption that the patient will use private care, and again to actually treat the patient.
With reform at the heart of the government’s proposals, now is the time to grasp the nettle of clinical negligence.
There are also questions left unanswered in the Plan about investing in the wellbeing of people at the heart of the NHS. Repeated surveys conducted by the MDU and our specialist dental division, the DDU, show that many doctors and dentists are struggling to provide optimal care, are suffering from excessive stress in the workplace, or are unable to access basic rest and catering facilities during their shifts. Healthcare professionals are central to delivering the government’s proposals and more must be done to address the challenges they face.
One of the strongest signals the government could send to doctors and dentists that they are on their side is to address the increasingly outdated way we regulate medical and dental professionals. This requires reform of both the General Medical Council (GMC) and the General Dental Council (GDC) to ensure a fairer, timely and more proportionate system of regulation for those working on the frontline.
Additionally, the government should look to improve access to basic facilities for healthcare staff when they are working out of hours. It is not right that so many of these staff are unable to access hot food during their shift, nor that they have the opportunity for a few moments of respite but have nowhere to go. This needs to change.
The 10-Year Plan contains many positive proposals and should be welcomed. Yet more can, and should, be done to create an NHS that delivers for patients and for the healthcare professionals at its heart. After all, the Plan cannot succeed without them.
Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.
The post Could the 10 Year Health Plan do more to support our NHS? appeared first on Politics.co.uk.
