Proposed NHS reform in England

Health and care services will work more closely together under plans to reform the NHS in England, the government has said.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock will set out plans for a “more integrated, more innovative and responsive” NHS. He said he wanted to target “burdensome bureaucracy”.  The shake-up will see the law changed to reverse reforms of the NHS in England introduced under David Cameron in 2012.

Ministers believe the changes will put the NHS in a better position to cope with an ageing population and a rise in people with complex health conditions. One-in-three patients admitted to hospital as an emergency has five or more health conditions, such as diabetes, obesity or asthma, up from one-in-10 a decade ago. Those working in the health service said many of the rules in place were time-consuming, frustrating and stressful.

Nigel Edwards, of the Nuffield Trust think tank, said the changes would be a “re-wiring behind the dashboard” and should not be too noticeable to patients. While it was not a “magic bullet”, it could help different parts of the system work more closely together, he added.