• NHS England has published the NHS long term plan.
• The plan includes a renewed focus on prevention to stop an estimated 85,000 premature deaths each year. 
• Measures will help prevent 150,000 heart attacks, strokes and dementia cases while more than three million people will benefit from new and improved stroke, respiratory and cardiac services over the next decade.
• The plan includes a new guarantee that investment in primary, community and mental health care will grow faster than the growing overall NHS budget.
• The plan includes the biggest ever investment in mental health services rising to at least £2.3bn a year by 2023/24.

Responding to the publication of the NHS long term plan, the chief executive of NHS Providers, Chris Hopson said:

“There will be strong support across the NHS for the vision and ambition set out in the document. Trusts and their staff are strongly committed to creating world class services and continuously improving patient outcomes. They also recognise the need to transform the way they provide care to reflect 21st century health and care needs.

Trusts and their staff are strongly committed to creating world class services and continuously improving patient outcomes. They also recognise the need to transform the way they provide care to reflect 21st century health and care needs.

“There is a huge amount to do across a wide range of areas. Successful delivery will depend on four key factors.

“First, ruthless prioritisation and effective implementation. To plan is to choose. We now need a detailed implementation plan that sets out exactly what will be delivered when. This must clearly match the priorities for each year to the available money and staff, ensuring that the trusts who have to deliver the plan are actually able to do so.

We now need a detailed implementation plan that sets out exactly what will be delivered when. This must clearly match the priorities for each year to the available money and staff.

“Second, a rapid solution to current workforce shortages. This plan cannot be delivered whilst trusts still have 100,000 workforce vacancies. We need urgent action to solve what trust leaders current describe as their biggest problem. It’s a major concern that we will have to wait longer to get the comprehensive plan that is needed here.

“Third, a clear path to recovering performance in areas like urgent and emergency care and routine surgery. Despite trusts working flat out, the NHS has fallen behind where it needs to be, missing all its key performance targets over the last four years. Whilst trusts are ready to look at updating these targets, we mustn’t lose the enormous gains trusts made in cutting waiting lists and improving care in the early 2000s.

“Fourth, there are a range of other issues central to the success of the NHS that must be satisfactorily resolved through the spending review - social care, public health and NHS training budgets.

The ambition and vision are welcome. But they need to be delivered.

“The ambition and vision are welcome. But they need to be delivered.

“We welcome the commitment to an open and consultative process in developing a detailed implementation plan over the next few months. It is vital that the expertise and concerns of NHS trusts are central to those discussions. We look forward to making a full and positive contribution.”