On Friday 23 December, NHS England (NHSE) published 2023/24 priorities and operational planning guidance. The guidance sets out three key tasks for the next financial year, the most immediate being to recover core services and improve productivity. As recovery continues, systems should renew focus on delivering the key ambitions set out in the NHS long term plan, and transforming the NHS for the future. This briefing highlights the key points from the guidance documents and includes NHS Providers’ view of the priorities for 2023/24.