Our five-year plan explains how we will plan and pay for health and care services for 3.2 million people in the North East and North Cumbria.
We want services to be safe, good quality and right for local people. We want to help people live healthier lives and make health fairer for everyone.
We also need to make the best use of our money. Each year, we spend about £9 billion on health and care.
Below you can see our plan at a glance. It shows our main priorities and what we want to do. You can also download the full plan or a shorter summary.
Our challenge...
In our region, some people:
- do not live as long as people in other parts of England
- spend more years in poor health
- have different chances of being healthy, depending on where they live
We also know that:
- more people need NHS services
- services cost more to run
- there is only so much money and staff time
This means we need to work in a new way. Our plan says how we will improve health and care by 2031. We will help more people get care closer to home, use more digital tools, and stay well for longer.
Alongside our five-year plan, we are developing a plan for neighbourhood health and refreshing our Better Health and Wellbeing for All strategy. These will reflect our changing role as a strategic commissioner and the NHS 10 Year Health Plan.
How we will work...
Put people first
We design services with the people who use them
Focus on results
Better health, not just more services
Value for money
Invest for biggest impact, cut duplication, and use innovations
Best information
We use data, research and patient feedback to focus on what works, and where it is needed most
Our key areas of focus...
Expanding neighbourhood health services
Our ambition is to bring care closer to homes and communities, helping people access support earlier, stay well for longer and reduce the need for hospital visits.
Giving children the best start in life
We will continue working to improve maternity care and health outcomes for children and young people with more prevention, early help and family-focused support.
Making the best use of medicines
We want to ensure that medicines are providing the greatest possible health benefit for our population, with prescribing decisions based on evidence, outcomes and awareness of inequalities.
Mental health, learning disabilities and neurodivergence
We will improve mental health, learning disability and neurodivergence support by providing earlier help, more care in local communities, better crisis support and more joined-up, trauma-informed services.
Helping people live longer, healthier lives
We will invest in improving health and reducing inequalities, working closely with our partners. This means targeting the biggest causes of ill health and supporting people in the communities that need it most.
Improving access to primary and community care
We will strengthen GP, pharmacy, dental and eye care services to provide better access, earlier support, more joined-up care and improved health outcomes in local communities.
Reducing hospital waiting times
We will work with NHS trusts and providers to improve access to hospital services, urgent care, diagnostics and cancer treatment. We will focus on improved pathways and better use of staff and buildings.
Improving care for long-term conditions
More people are living with conditions like heart disease, diabetes and lung disease. We want to ensure high quality support for people who need ongoing care due to complex health needs.