How to have your say in the ‘national conversation’ on the future of the NHS

Patients and professionals are being urged to join in the biggest ever conversation about the NHS, as the government launches a national consultation about its future. ITV News’ Harry Horton has more.
A major consultation on the future of the NHS has been launched as part of the government’s 10-year health plan to reform the health service.
While the NHS is expected to see a cash increase in the budget this month, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said more money must be accompanied by reform.
Hailed as “the biggest national conversation about the future of the NHS since its birth”, the government says the consultation promises to put patients and staff at the heart of its plans to transform the NHS.
Speaking on Monday, the PM said NHS workers “deserve a lot better” than the last 14 years under the Conservatives.
“I know the last 14 years have been really, really hard. We have had austerity, we haven’t had the right money and resources… then the burden of Covid and everything that followed after that.
“Frankly, you deserve a lot better than that”, Keir Starmer told ambulance workers in east London.
Why is the government asking for views?
The consultation is part of the government’s plans to transform the NHS into a “neighbourhood health service” announced yesterday by shifting more care from hospitals to communities.
Streeting has urged the public to “help us build a health service fit for the future”, saying he wants NHS staff and patients to have their “fingerprints all over” the 10-year plan.
He said: “When I was diagnosed with kidney cancer, the NHS saved my life, as it has for so many people across our country.
“We all owe the NHS a debt of gratitude for a moment in our lives when it was there for us, when we needed it. Now we have a chance to repay that debt.
“Today the NHS is going through the worst crisis in its history. But, while the NHS is broken, it’s not beaten. Together, we can fix it.”
What is already in the plan?
The health secretary announced yesterday his plan to shift hospitals into the communities as part of a “neighbourhood health service”.
The aim is for the local health centres to bring multiple services under one roof to deliver care closer to people’s homes.
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) said this would stop patients “having to go from pillar to post” and will let them be treated for minor injuries “without having to wait for hours in overstretched hospitals.”
The plan will also see greater use of data and technology by having a single digital patient record to speed up information about a patient and prevent them from having to repeat their medical history at every appointment.
The easier sharing of patient data is estimated to save 140,000 hours of staff time every year.
Technology is also expected to be a part of the NHS’s focus on treatment prevention with smartwatches to help people with diabetes and high blood pressure manage their conditions at home.
How can people take part?
Members of the public can share their views online via change.NHS.uk and the consultation will also be available through the NHS app.
The consultation will be open until the start of next year with a final version of the government’s 10-year plan expected to be published in spring 2025.
Announcing the consultation, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “My mum worked for the NHS, my sister worked for the NHS, and my wife still works for the NHS so I know first-hand how difficult it has been for staff, and for patients battling against a broken system for over a decade. But it’s time to roll up our sleeves and fix it.
“We have a clear plan to fix the health service, but it’s only right that we hear from the people who rely on the NHS every day to have their say and shape our plan as we deliver it.
“Together we can build a healthcare system that puts patients first and delivers the care that everyone deserves.
“We have a huge opportunity to put the NHS back on its feet. So let’s be the generation that took the NHS from the worst crisis in its history and made it fit for the future.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey urged the government to show “ambition” in its plans, or risk the consultation “becoming a talking shop”.
He said: “We know that primary care services across the country are at the brink of collapse due to the Conservative Party’s disgraceful neglect, with patients paying the price.
“Whether it is sky-high GP waiting lists, endless ambulance response times, or a failure to diagnose cancer in time, none of these issues can be fixed without fixing the crisis in social care.
“That is why the Liberal Democrats will make sure that social care is part of the debate and push for a cross-party solution to this crisis.”
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