The NHS Long Term Plan was launched in January (credit NHS England)

Claire Fisher from Healthwatch Enfield urges local people to have their say

In a nutshell, the NHS Long Term Plan is a ten-year plan devised by NHS England to make sure the service is fit for purpose in future.

The NHS has scrutinised all aspects of its services to make sure every penny of taxpayers’ money, including government investment of an extra £20billion per year, is being used to make improvements to patient care.

With growing pressure on the NHS – an ageing population, more people living with long-term conditions, and lifestyle choices affecting people’s health – changes are needed to make sure everybody gets the support they need.

Now our local NHS needs to hear from you about what those changes should look like in your community. What would you do to improve the service in Enfield? What would help you make the switch to a healthier lifestyle? These and other questions will be put to local residents over the next few months to make sure that your ideas, opinions and concerns are used to inform the next stage of planning.

A significant part of the plan will be around preventative action against illness and disease, so switching to a healthier lifestyle could prevent some health issues occurring. The Enfield Health and Wellbeing Board is currently developing a new plan to support residents to do just that, aiming to reduce illnesses related to smoking, inactivity, and unhealthy eating. Early screening and awareness for cancer diagnosis, meaning more effective treatment, is a possibility too.

We are already engaging with Enfield residents to develop a new Cancer Awareness campaign in the borough. The plan also promises that more support will be available for people with mental health conditions; heart and lung diseases; long-term conditions, such as diabetes and arthritis; learning disabilities; autism, and dementia.

There will be a drive to increase staff numbers to support this. Technology will be used to give medical professionals better access to information and the ability to share it with other service providers.

Changes are coming, but these plans can only work if they are built on what local residents want, so, please take just a few minutes out of your day to share your views. What would you do to improve health and care services? We at Healthwatch Enfield want to hear from you!

For more information about Healthwatch Enfield and to get in touch:

Call 020 8373 6283
Email [email protected]
Text 07376 550 116
Tweet @HealthwatchEnf
Visit healthwatchenfield.co.uk

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