Have your say on how to fix the NHS to make it work better for disabled children

3 mins read

Tuesday 22 October 2024

The government has opened a major consultation on the future of the NHS, inviting everyone to suggest ways to improve our health service.

Launching the “national conversation”, Prime Minister Keir Starmer invited patients, the public and experts to help shape the next NHS Long Term Plan.

What is the NHS 10-year plan, and why is it important?

The Government’s 10-year plan for the NHS is due to be published in spring 2025. The plan will set out NHS goals and priorities for the next decade and draw on Lord Darzi’s recent independent report into the state of the health service. Feedback from the “national conversation” will also be used to shape the final plan.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has already revealed that the 10-year plan will focus on three main ‘shifts’:

  • From analogue to digital healthcare, developing the NHS app and creating a single patient record.
  • From hospital to community, creating neighbourhood health centres with GPs, nurses, health visitors, physiotherapists and mental health workers under one roof.
  • Sickness to prevention, preventing ill health in the first-place, asking people to use wearable tech like smart watches to monitor their own health.

Mr Streeting also stressed he wanted to see a shift from “late to earlier diagnosis”. This is especially important for all the disabled children currently on very long waiting lists for diagnostic assessments.

How can I respond to the consultation?

You can have your say via the Change NHS Platform, which will ask you to create a log-in. The process is simple.

You are then guided through a short series of questions. The form provides enough space for you to explain how the NHS works or doesn’t work well for your child and make suggestions.

Parents with disabled children may want to mention, for example:

  • Waiting times for first appointments with community and mental health services, including diagnostic assessments.
  • The need for significant investment in specialists for disabled children, like speech and language therapists and psychologists (one of Contact’s key SEND asks).
  • Access to NHS continuing healthcare funding if your child has complex health needs and disabilities.
  • The need for more support in the community for autistic and learning-disabled children and young people in crisis.
  • Access to GP or dental appointment for your child.
  • Access to treatments for your child currently not available on the NHS.
  • Access to genome sequencing.
  • Anything else that could make NHS services better for you and your child.

You can also email our health lead [email protected] if there are issues you would like us to highlight in Contact’s response.

The consultation runs until the end of the year.