London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 21, 2025

NHS reform: 'No better time than now' for changes, says Matt Hancock

NHS reform: 'No better time than now' for changes, says Matt Hancock

The NHS in England is to be reformed so health and care services can work more closely together, the government says.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the planned restructure will mean a focus "on the health of the population, not just the health of patients".

But Labour questioned the timing of the changes "in the middle of the biggest public health crisis our NHS has ever faced", saying staff were exhausted.

Mr Hancock said there was "no better time than now".

A full White Paper was published on Thursday, setting out the proposed future legislation.

"The pandemic has made the changes in this White Paper more not less urgent," Mr Hancock told MPs.

The shake-up will see the law changed to reverse reforms of the NHS in England introduced under Prime Minister David Cameron in 2012.

Ministers believe the changes will put the NHS in a better position to cope with an ageing population and a rise in people with complex health conditions.

One-in-three patients admitted to hospital as an emergency has five or more health conditions, such as diabetes, obesity or asthma, up from one-in-10 a decade ago.

Those working in the health service said many of the rules in place were time-consuming, frustrating and stressful.

Announcing the changes to MPs, Mr Hancock said the new system would see the NHS and local councils take decisions about local health together.

"The new approach is based on the concept of population health," he said.

Organisations called "integrated care systems" - which already exist in some parts of the country - will be set up in each part of England and be responsible for funding to support that area's health.

"They will provide not just for the treatments that are needed but support people to stay healthy in the first place," said Mr Hancock.

Responding to criticism over the timing, Mr Hancock said the pandemic had "brought home the importance of preventing ill health in the first place".

Nigel Edwards, of the Nuffield Trust think tank, said the changes would be a "re-wiring behind the dashboard" and should not be too noticeable to patients.

While it was not a "magic bullet", it could help different parts of the system work more closely together, he added.

Analysis: Why now and what does it mean for patients?


The public will be rightly asking what difference these reforms make and why they are being introduced now in the middle of a pandemic.

The concept predates Covid - councils and the NHS have been piloting these approaches to integrated care over the past few years.

But, in many ways, the pandemic has speeded up the process. With more care being done out of hospital because of the pressures from Covid, community NHS and council care teams have been working ever more closely.

There is much to recommend greater joined up working. The 21st century patient has multiple conditions.

Take a 70-year-old with heart problem and dementia who lives alone. They will need input from a heart specialist, support from community nurses and maybe the company of a befriending service.

The staff needed could come from three different organisations working and funded separately. It creates bureaucracy and it is not hard to see how the quality of care suffers.

The white paper is an attempt to re-wire the NHS. But those working for the NHS argue that is just one part of the solution - staffing and investment will also play a role.

The proposals include scrapping the tendering rule, which sees providers and private companies compete to win contracts to run services.

This rule made it complicated for councils and different parts of the NHS to set up joint teams and pool their budgets, with some having to set up separate bodies to bid for contracts.

Instead, the NHS and councils will be left to run services and told to collaborate with each other to pool resources.

It also gives the health secretary more control over NHS England and other national bodies, which had been given a large degree of autonomy under the 2012 changes.

Social care plan 'this year'


Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said Labour had long argued for more integrated care, but raised questions over the timing.

He also said the test of the reorganisation "will be whether it brings waiting lists and times down, widens access especially for mental healthcare, drives up cancer survival rates and improves population health".

Mr Ashworth added that "legislation alone of course is not the answer to integration.

"We need a long-term funded workforce plan. We've not got one. We need a sustainable social care plan. We were promised one on the steps of Downing Street. We still don't have one."

The UK's social care system is under pressure with past governments failing to reform or fund the council-run system properly.

In their 2019 election manifesto, the Conservatives pledged to find a cross-party solution to reduce pressures on the sector and provide long-term funding.

Mr Hancock told MPs the government was "committed to the reform of adult social care and will bring forward proposals this year".

Meanwhile, NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said the reform will create a "flexible can-do spirit" across the health and care system.

The White Paper will cite examples of good practice, such as a care team at the Royal Derby Hospital which sees nurses from the community, council care services and hospital staff working together to plan the discharge of patients.

Chris Hopson, of NHS Providers, which represents NHS managers, said it would end "an unnecessarily rigid NHS approach to procurement".

The Local Government Association welcomed the plans but said they did not provide the funding to put care services on a "sustainable and long-term footing".


Health Secretary Matt Hancock: 'We need to build a better, stronger NHS'


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
×