Looking forward: the Five Year View

On 23 October, Simon Stevens outlined his Five Year Forward View for the NHS. Developed by the partner organisations that deliver and oversee health and care services, including NHS England, Public Health England, Monitor, Health Education England, the Care Quality Commission and the NHS Trust Development Authority, it offers a look at why change in the NHS is needed, what that change might look like and how we can achieve it (NHS England et al, 2014). This ‘upgrade’ to the public health system will take into account growing problems associated with obesity, smoking and the consumption of alcohol; greater control of patients’ own care through fully interoperable electronic health records that are accessible to the patient; and decisive steps to break down the barriers in how care is provided.

In line with the Urgent and Emergency Care Review (NHS England, 2013), the Five Year Forward View proposes an expanded role for ambulance services, highlighting the increasing need for out-of-hospital care to become a more notable part of the work the NHS undertakes. The plan highlights the need to dissolve traditional boundaries and integrate urgent and emergency care services between A&E departments, GP out-of-hours services, urgent care centres, NHS 111, and ambulance services. Through empowering ambulance service staff—including paramedics—with the ability to make make more decisions, treat more patients and make referrals in a more flexible way, it is hoped that pressure on other services can be alleviated and patients can receive the care they deserve. Highlighting the success of the introduction of major trauma centres, it emphasises the need for developing networks of linked hospitals that ensure patients with the most serious needs get to specialist emergency centres.

The Five Year Forward View also promotes the need to engage with communities in new ways by involving them directly in decisions about the future of health and care services (NHS England et al, 2014). Through the encouragement of community volunteering, it is hoped that a critical contribution to the provision of health and social care in England can be made. It is suggested that this could be done through further recruitment of community first responders, particulary in more rural areas, who are trained in basic life support. In addition, proposals for new roles include family and carer liaison, educating people in the management of long-term conditions and helping with vaccination programmes.

The Five Year Forward View is a welcome proposal of how the NHS can tackle changing demands in health care. By recognising how and why the health system needs to evolve, it is hoped the NHS will be able to provide better, higher quality, and more integrated care to its patients.

References

NHS England (2013) High Quality Care for All, Now and for Future Generations: Transforming Urgent and Emergency Care Services in England – Urgent and Emergency Care Review End of Phase 1 Report. NHS England, London

NHS England, Public Health England, Health Education England, Monitor, Care Quality Commission, NHS Trust Development Authority (2014) Five Year Forward View. http://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/5yfv-web.pdf (accessed 1 December 2014)

Taken from Journal of Paramedic Practice, published 5 December 2014.