Commenting on the government’s 10 Year Health Plan published today, Clive Makombera, partner and head of NHS at RSM UK, said:

“The plan represents a pivotal moment for the future of the NHS. The rollout of new Neighbourhood Health Centres, a much greater role for the NHS app and a fundamental shift of care from hospital to community, will create an NHS that has a more people-first approach. By embedding digital innovation, shifting care closer to home, and focusing on prevention, the NHS is laying the foundation for a more sustainable, equitable, and patient-centred future. Whilst these are the right priorities, delivering them will come with their challenges, even with the new funding that was recently announced. The government should be cautious not to overcommit to additional service priorities to those already set out, as they could end up shooting themselves in the foot.

“A more digitally enabled NHS can only be a positive, but the initial focus will need to be on getting the basics right, then building capabilities for embedding future innovation. The NHS app will be a powerful central hub for providing efficient healthcare, but enhanced cybersecurity and data governance will be crucial to maintaining public trust. We believe a significant proportion of funding for digital transformation should be ringfenced towards building staff and system capabilities. Additional protected long-term funding should also be allocated to maintaining and modernising legacy systems and hardware.

“Importantly, the decision to phase out the £2.2bn in deficit support funding for trusts that fail to meet their agreed targets is a bold step in holding individual trusts accountable. But simply stripping out this funding which some heavily rely on could be detrimental to achieving the goal of shifting to community care.

“Shifting from reactive treatment to prevention will only be achievable by making better use of technology, delivering care closer to home and developing new models that center around accountability. However, the NHS desperately needs more staff with the right skills set, which might require leveraging the expertise of the private healthcare sector. That said, existing workforce shortages in the healthcare system cannot be underestimated.

“To deliver on the government’s three key strategies, people, resources and funding in the NHS must be rebalanced to match its priorities. It will also require significantly better collaboration between the public and private sector, as they work towards common goals. In addition, longer-term funding growth in the community and preventative services must increase at a faster rate. By allocating funding at the local level more flexibly and giving trusts discretion to develop solutions on a local level, this should result in better patient outcomes and support efforts in relieving pressure on the NHS.”

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