'Patients in the Black Country have felt the burden of unequal healthcare for too long' - Minister's pledge to region on launch of Government's 10-year-plan
Health minister Karin Smyth has pledged that everyone in the Black Country will receive access to GPs, nurses, and wider support under one roof as part of a shake-up of patient care.
Last week the Government announced its 10-year plan for the NHS, which includes the setting up more than 200 neighbourhood health centres across the country.
The Government says these, which will typically serve communities of about 200,000 people, will reduce the pressures on hospitals by allowing more patients to be treated closer to their homes.
Miss Smyth said they would help address the health inequalities which the region suffered from.
“Patients in the Black Country have felt the burden of unequal healthcare for far too long, with those in greatest need often receiving the worst quality care," she said.
“As we bring in neighbourhood health centres in every community in England, everyone will receive access to GPs, nurses, and wider support all under one roof - rebalancing our health system so that it fits around patients’ lives, not the other way round.
“They will help achieve a core ambition of our 10-year plan to restore the promise of the NHS, to provide first class healthcare for everyone in our country and end the postcode lottery.”
Miss Smyth said there were a handful such centres at the moment, which did 'incredible, pioneering things' for people. She said she wanted every community in the country to benefit from them.
The Government says the new 'super-clinics' will free up overstrained hospitals from perpetual firefighting so they can focus on delivering cutting-edge and personalised care.
They will be open 12 hours a day, six days a week, and will not only bring diagnostics, post-operative care, and rehab into the community but also offer services such as debt advice, employment support and help with weight management or quitting smoking.
The use of artificial intelligence would end the scramble for appointments early in the morning, it added.
AI scribes will end the need for clinical notetaking, letter drafting, and manual data entry to free up clinicians’ time to focus on treating patients. Saving just 90 seconds on each GP appointment can save the same time as adding 2,000 more doctors into general practice.
The Government said it would also use digital telephony so all phone calls to GP practices were answered quickly. Same day digital or telephone consultations would be available for those who required them.
It said it will mean fewer patients will need to visit hospitals, as neighbourhood teams will include staff like nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors, palliative care staff, and paramedics.
Community health workers and volunteers will play a pivotal role, and individual centres will be encouraged to trial innovative schemes such as door-to-door services to detect early signs of illness and reduce pressure on GPs and A & E.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had inherited a health service in crisis, and it was a case of 'reform or die'.
The plan follows Lord Darzi’s report on the challenges facing the NHS last year where he assessed it was in a ‘critical condition’ as a result of deep rooted issues including low productivity, poor staff morale, a failure to keep up with new technology, rising waiting times, and a deterioration in the health of the nation.
Sir Keir said he wanted to move NHS services from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention.
