Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting has reiterated controversial claims that the NHS is ‘broken’ in a statement encouraging clinicians, experts and the public to shape its future.

In a Department of Health and Social Care release published today (21 October), Mr Streeting said the NHS was ‘going through the worst crisis in its history. But while the NHS is broken, it’s not beaten. Together, we can fix it.

‘Whether you use the NHS or work in it, you see first-hand what’s great, but also what isn’t working. We need your ideas to help turn the NHS around.’

Both Mr Streeting and prime minister Keir Starmer referred to personal stories to highlight the importance of the NHS to themselves as individuals and to the public at large. Mr Streeting said the NHS had ‘saved his life [when he was diagnosed with kidney cancer] – ‘as it has for so many people across our country. We all owe the NHS a debt of gratitude for a moment in our lives when it was there for us, when we needed it. Now we have a chance to repay that debt.’

By contributing to a forthcoming 10 Year Health Plan, respondents could help to ‘transform the NHS to make it fit for the future’., Mr Streeting added’ ‘I urge everyone to go to Change.NHS.uk today and help us build a health service fit for the future. Our reforms will … shift the NHS away from late diagnosis and treatment to a model where more services are delivered in local communities and illnesses are prevented in the first place.’

PM: time to ‘roll up our sleeves’

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that three important women in his life – his mother, sister and wife – had all worked for the NHS. ‘I know first-hand how difficult it has been for staff, and for patients battling against a broken system for over a decade. But it’s time to roll up our sleeves and fix it.

‘We have a clear plan to fix the health service, but it’s only right that we hear from the people who rely on the NHS every day to have their say and shape our plan as we deliver it. Together we can build a healthcare system that puts patients first and delivers the care that everyone deserves.

Sir Keir added: ‘We have a huge opportunity to put the NHS back on its feet. So, let’s be the generation that took the NHS from the worst crisis in its history and made it fit for the future.’

Staff face ‘unprecedented challenges’

Rob Yeldham, a Chartered Society of Physiotherapy director, posted a message on X this morning, saying the CSP ‘will be responding and will advise members how to make the most impactful responses’.

NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: ‘NHS staff are facing an unprecedented number of challenges – with record demand for care, alongside growing pressures from an ageing population, rising levels of multiple long-term illnesses and patients with more complex needs. And they are often hampered by working in crumbling buildings with outdated tech, meaning too many patients are waiting too long for care they need.

‘The 10 Year Health Plan is a chance to make the best practice, normal practice across the country. So, we will be carrying out the largest ever staff engagement exercise in NHS history and leaving no stone unturned as we seek to harness frontline views, alongside those of patients and the public, to ensure this happens, Ms Pritchard added.’

We have a clear plan to fix the health service, but it’s only right that we hear from the people who rely on the NHS every day to have their say and shape our plan as we deliver it [Keir Starmer]

Three ‘big shifts in healthcare’ 

The public engagement exercise will influence the government’s 10 Year Health Plan, which is due to be unveiled next spring 2025. Three ‘big shifts in healthcare’ are promised:  hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention. 

Lord Ara Darzi said his recent investigation found that the NHS needed ‘urgent and fundamental reform’. ‘The 10 Year Health Plan comes at a crucial moment – and by describing the ultimate destination for the health service, it will help improve decision-making in the here and now.’

Rachel Power, the Patients Association’s chief executive, said: ‘Through our work as an independent charity, we speak directly with thousands of patients living with various health conditions each year. This gives us valuable insights into diverse experiences across the health and care system, from widely shared patient needs to unique challenges faced by underrepresented groups. We’re eager to contribute these wide-ranging perspectives to help shape a health service that truly meets the needs of everyone it serves.’

A ‘turning point’ for the NHS

Matthew Taylor, the NHS Confederation’s chief executive said: ‘Following more than a decade of underinvestment and in the face of some serious challenges we are reaching a turning point for the NHS. The 10-year plan will set the service on a path towards being put on sustainable footing so that it can best serve our population.’

Mr Taylor added: ‘No one working in the NHS will argue that it works perfectly – its staff have been crying out for change and we hope the 10-year plan will deliver for them and their communities, including by listening to the reality of their experiences and by incorporating the many examples of best practice and innovation that are taking place across the country.’