HEALTH AND THE NHS

Our NHS Long Term Plan, which has been launched to protect the health service now and for generations to come – ensuring that the NHS is always there for you and your family.

Thanks to our investment of £20.5 billion a year in real terms by 2023-24 the plan will transform patient care and make sure every penny of taxpayers’ money is spent wisely.

There will be a new focus on prevention – with £4.5 billion being invested in primary and community care – personal responsibility and promoting good health, and more rapid diagnostics and new treatments that will improve the care you receive.

From birth, through the challenges that life brings and into old age, the plan will ensure that the NHS is:

  • Providing the best maternity care in the world
    We will ensure every baby gets the best start in life by continuing to improve maternity safety and providing greater mental health support to new parents.
  • Supporting ageing and increasing independence
    We will support people to age well by bringing different health and care teams together to make sure older people are getting the support they need to remain independent, avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions.
  • Improving outcomes for all major conditions
    Through better prevention, detection, treatment and recovery from serious diseases, we will improve health outcomes so people live longer and healthier.
  • Increasing the NHS workforce
    We are improving access to mental health, primary care and community services, with tens of thousands more doctors, nurses and other health professionals.
  • Bringing the NHS into the digital age
    We are rolling out new digital technologies to deliver improved access to NHS services. This will mean everyone in the country will have digital access to their GP, including being able to make appointments, manage prescriptions and view their health records online.
  • Cutting waste across the NHS
    We will continue use taxpayers’ money efficiently within the NHS, including through introducing new digital techniques and making back office savings of more than £700 million across the NHS.