10 Year Health Plan – The communications challenges

The Government is expected to publish its 10 Year Health Plan tomorrow, with the latest announcements suggesting major changes to the way the NHS provides care. 

We know the plan will likely align with Wes Streeting’s three major shifts: analogue to digital, hospital to community and sickness to prevention – but organisations, trusts, NHS employees and the public are all awaiting more detail of what that will really mean. For those of us working with healthcare organisations – we’re anticipating a number of communications challenges to arise.

Changing patient behaviour

The Plan looks set to formalise a long-term move towards Neighbourhood Health Services. Success will be measured by the NHS’s ability to keep people healthy and out of hospital, with greater emphasis on preventative services and access to care in community settings. This shift places general practice, community pharmacy, and other local providers at the core of NHS transformation – but the real question will be how do we get patients to change the way they make use of the NHS?

Communicating the value of primary care

To change this behaviour, there will be an increased need for primary care bodies to communicate their value clearly, confidently and regularly. Representative bodies and providers across primary care will need to use patient stories, data and local insights to demonstrate impact and continue to engage proactively with national policymakers and regional NHS leaders. The Plan could open up new opportunities for messaging that highlights access, efficiency and community trust – but will it provide these community-based providers with the tools, and the funding, to do so?

Stakeholder engagement

The news over the weekend about the abolition of several NHS oversight bodies, including Healthwatch England and the National Guardian’s Office has drawn concern from stakeholders, particularly over how these measures have been communicated. For the Government’s plan to maintain its credibility, it will need to explain how it intends to maintain oversight and patient safety within a more decentralised system.

The 10 Year Health Plan could mark a turning point for the NHS and how it delivers care. For primary care providers, it is a real opportunity to enhance and expand the care they provide to patients and to develop their role in prevention, but this will need to be communicated effectively to all stakeholders, and most importantly, the public. Clear messaging and strong public engagement will be essential to changing behaviour around how health services are used and valued.

By this time tomorrow, when the Plan is in the public domain, we may know more about how these challenges will be met.

Contact health@luther.co.uk to chat with our team of experts.