The Government of England has announced that community and primary healthcare in England is going to benefit from a real-terms increase of £3.5 Billion per year by 2023/24.
Theresa May Reveals Plans for Boost to Reduce Pressure on Hospitals
Prime Minister Theresa May announced that the plan for the NHS, for long-term improvement, which is supported by £20.5 Bn for the coming five years is anticipated to greatly improve patient care at homes, with the objective of reducing unnecessary hospital stays by patients across the country.
The funding is expected to help in the foundation of rapid response teams comprising nurses, doctors, and physiotherapists, who will be capable to provide immediate care to patients who can be better treated at home that at hospitals.
Moreover, the additional funds will also be used to assign homes with dedicated professionals such as general practitioners and pharmacists, who know individual healthcare needs to provide customized support and treatments, even out of hours.
Theresa May stated that through the plans patients would be able to avail much better care within the community. In addition, unnecessary hospital stays cost the NHS and its staff in pressure on time, effort and money, which would be significantly reduced through the new plan.
Patients to Expect Big Benefits in Health and Money
Research has shown that when older people who spend approximately 10 days in a hospital bed, leads to the muscular ageing worth 10 years. This is especially important as more than a quarter of admission of patients to care homes are considered to be avoidable. The new funding will help ease the work pressure on NHS staff, significantly reduce waiting times and make more hospital beds free for patients who really need them.
The government expects that the plan will greatly aid the healthcare sector, especially in the cancer and mental health sectors that are planned to receive at least £2 Bn more during the same period.
Questions Raised On Implementation
The Nuffield Trust has stated that the increased funds is in line with the 3.4% overall that the NHS has been receiving over the last 5 years, and that it was not really a big shift from the current situation, but it would simply allow community services to keep up with the growing demand of the coming years.
A representative of the King’s Fund cautioned that a shortage of general practitioners and community nurses is going to be a major challenge, and that the added £20.5 Bn had its limitations. The question of whether the government can implement their plan and how fast they can implement it is of utmost importance to gauge the degree of success.