Hounslow Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Health Integration, Cllr Lily Bath is calling on local people in Hounslow to play their part in shaping the future of our health service as Ministers begin the biggest ever national conversation about the future of the NHS. The entire country is being called upon to share their experiences of our health service and help shape the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan.
- Public, clinicians and experts urged to submit ideas for its future as new online platform change.nhs.uk is now live – putting staff and patients in driving seat of reform
- Responses will shape the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan to fix broken health service and deliver the Government’s mission to build an NHS fit for the future
Hounslow Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Health Integration, Cllr Lily Bath said:
“This is our chance to ensure that we have an NHS fit for the future – an NHS that is there when people in Hounslow need it.
“We all know our health service is in trouble – waiting lists are too long and frankly all too often local people haven’t received the quality of care they need, when they need it. The Conservatives ran our NHS into the ground; after 14 years of Tory rule our NHS is broken.
“Labour is determined to change that. And we don’t just want it to be like it was before. We want to modernise our health service with three big shifts – from hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention – to deliver a health service we can be really proud of.
“Hounslow is proud to be at the forefront of healthcare innovation, having commissioned an independent review last year, on behalf of local health and care partners, to identify and assess alternative models of health and care delivery, alongside the development of a new model of care for frailty. We are now planning next steps to support the review outcomes which will come forward in due course.
“Don’t miss your chance to ensure that future of our health service works for you – log on, have your say, and help get our NHS back on its feet.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer MP 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.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting MP 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.
“Whether you use the NHS or work in it, you see first-hand what’s great, but also what isn’t working. We need your ideas to help turn the NHS around.
“In order to save the things we love about the NHS, we need to change it. Our 10 Year Health Plan will transform the NHS to make it fit for the future, and it will have patients’ and staff’s fingerprints all over it.
“I urge everyone to go to change.nhs.uk today and help us build a health service fit for the future.
“Investment alone won’t be enough to tackle the problems facing the NHS, which is why it must go hand in hand with fundamental reform.
“The three big shifts will be our key principles for reform and will revolutionise the way people manage their health and access care. Our reforms will also shift the NHS away from late diagnosis and treatment to a model where more services are delivered in local communities and illnesses are prevented in the first place.
“It is vital the Government hears from patients, experts and the NHS workforce to make sure we get this right and preserve the things people value about the health service.”
The public engagement exercise will help shape the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan which will be published in spring 2025 and will be underlined by three big shifts in healthcare – hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention.
As part of the first shift “from hospital to community”, the Government wants to deliver plans for new neighbourhood health centres, which will be closer to homes and communities. Patients will be able to see family doctors, district nurses, care workers, physiotherapists, health visitors, or mental health specialists, all under the same roof.
By moving from sickness to prevention, government wants to shorten the amount of time people spend in-ill health and prevent illnesses before they happen. As an example, the 10 Year Health Plan will explore the opportunities smart watches and other wearable tech may offer patients with diabetes or high blood pressure, so they can monitor their own health from the comfort of their own home.