The expectations set out in the plan reflect the comprehensive and high-quality care the NHS should deliver to patients and service users every day. A holistic view of health, care and wellbeing is taken across primary, community, secondary and social care, with appropriate emphasis on the wider determinants of health. In the secondary care sector, existing and additional performance standards are fully funded, take account of the current position on workforce, and are deliverable within the timeframe required. The overall financial and performance task set for the provider sector and the wider NHS can be sustainably delivered so that the vast majority of trusts, performing well, can deliver what is asked of them.
Measures:
- The plan recognises the reality of the increasing demand for care that will come from an ageing population and the increased acuity and complexity this will bring. The plan must honestly and realistically set out how the health and care system will meet these demands.
- Patient safety and outcomes for patients and service users are protected and improved.
- Trusts have a clear implementation plan, with realistic recovery trajectories for finance and performance, and are only set performance requirements backed up with full funding.
- Realistic assumptions are made about productivity and efficiency gains, demand management and the speed and scale of any benefits derived from change or transformation programmes.
- The plan helps to make the most of the money available by setting out a new financial architecture. This should maximise the level of funding reaching frontline organisations, better enabling both greater spending on care and sustainable delivery of care.
- Priorities are clearly identified and, where difficult choices need to be made, this is done through a transparent, open and clearly communicated process.
- There is an explicit measurement of what trusts are being asked to deliver against their current delivery capacity and capability.
- The plan recognises that consistently providing care as early as possible and in the right setting will require fundamental reform of the primary care sector with significant emphasis on reducing health inequalities, and making the system work for vulnerable and hard to reach groups.