The “2023/24 NHS Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance” document outlines several key aspects relevant to new medical consultants:
Mental Health: There’s a strong focus on continuing to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard, which involves increasing expenditure on mental health services. The guidance emphasizes developing a workforce plan that supports the delivery of mental health services and improving data to evidence the expansion and transformation of these services.
Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC): A key requirement is to maintain the expanded core UEC capacity established in 2023/24. This includes continued investment in diagnostic and elective activities to reduce patient waiting times.
Learning Disability and Autism: The NHS is committed to improving the accuracy and size of GP learning disability registers. There’s also a focus on developing integrated workforce plans for the learning disability and autism workforce. Efforts are being made to improve autism diagnostic assessment pathways and reduce waiting times.
Primary Care: There’s a significant focus on maximizing investment in primary care to improve patient access. This includes the introduction of services like the new pharmacy first service.
Health Inequalities: Updating plans for the prevention of ill-health and incorporating them into joint forward plans is a priority. The guidance suggests a quality improvement approach to addressing health inequalities, considering the needs of specific groups like children and young people, and establishing high intensity use services in urgent and emergency care.
Workforce Investment: The guidance asks for a refresh of whole-system workforce plans, focusing on staff experience and retention, increased productivity, flexible working practices, and sufficient clinical placement capacity. This includes implementing strategies from the NHS People Promise and the Occupational Health strategy. The NHS aims to continue reducing the cost of temporary staffing and agree on standard metrics for tracking productivity alongside service delivery.
Digital Maturity: Using digital maturity assessments to measure progress and prioritizing areas for development is emphasized. The guidance also highlights the importance of implementing the right data architecture for population health management and deploying digital tools for patient support.
System Working: Developing integrated care strategies and joint forward plans is a key priority. This includes maturing ways of working across the system, such as provider collaboratives and place-based partnership arrangements.
Financial Framework: The overall financial framework remains consistent, and system plans are required to achieve financial balance while prioritizing the NHS’s main areas of focus.
For new medical consultants, understanding and aligning with these priorities will be crucial for effectively contributing to the NHS’s goals and adapting to its evolving landscape.