The Government has published a new Neighbourhood Health Framework as they prepare to accelerate the left shift from hospital to community, as outlined in the NHS 10-Year Plan.
The document outlines the Government’s ambitions for the new Neighbourhood Health Service across the next few years, how the service will be delivered, and how the NHS will change to facilitate this pivot. They expect the new service to improve outcomes; reduce health inequalities; provide better, more convenient patient-centred care, reduce pressure on acute services; and cut waste and duplication.
We are pleased that NHS England (NHSE) will review of diagnostic services to map out capacity in existing Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs). BIVDA has long argued that CDCs underutilise in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) compared to imaging and we therefore wholeheartedly welcome this review. In addition, NHSE will also review direct access to diagnostics by GPs to speed up diagnoses and increase the capacity of virtual wards.
As part of these overall plans, 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) will be delivered by 2035, 120 of those by 2030. They will be a mixture of repurposed underused estate and new builds, with 20% of new builds funded from public capital and the rest through public-private partnerships.
Many components are expected to develop organically as the service operates and grows, including new models of local delivery and the definition of roles. ICBs retain a high degree of freedom in design to optimise the delivery of services in accordance with local population health needs.
However, ICBs – who are already facing widespread and considerable budget cuts – are expected to deliver services based on prioritisation and reallocation of existing resources and cannot expect new funding. Realising such a seismic shift in healthcare delivery without new funding in already testing times will undoubtedly be the greatest challenge – and may prove pivotal in judging the ultimate overall success of the NHS 10-Year Plan.
BIVDA will seek further clarity on the progress of the diagnostic reviews and will continue to advocate for greater use of appropriate and innovative IVDs in CDCs and GP practices.
