Long-term health conditions are one of the greatest challenges facing our NHS and our society. Addressing this will take more than short-term fixes. It requires a determined, coordinated, and sustained effort. We have been promised a long-term plan for the NHS, and it will be vital that the care of those with long-term conditions factors into that.
The Chancellor’s announcement of a 3% annual real-terms increase in NHS funding is a source of hope. However, with around 70% of NHS spending directed toward managing long-term conditions, getting spending right on the matter of long-term conditions will be vital.
Most people will, at some point in their lives, develop one or more long-term conditions. Some are born with them, sometimes with severe disabilities.
As we grow older, the chances are that each of us will have a chronic health problem. We all know what it means when something is not working quite as it should. Eventually, the wheels begin to fall off for everyone.
If we could improve the management of long-term sickness, the benefits would reach every part of society. Our economy would be stronger, our communities healthier, and our NHS more sustainable. Yet, I worry that our medical system has not truly adapted to the new reality. When the NHS was established in 1948, its focus was on infectious disease and urgent hospital care. Those were the greatest threats at the time. Now, however, the landscape has changed. People are living longer lives, often with conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and dementia. These are not illnesses to be cured quickly with a single intervention. They are health challenges that demand ongoing support and coordination.
We must recognise that bringing people into hospital only when they are acutely unwell is no longer good enough. The old approach of treating emergencies first may have suited a different era, but it does not serve those who live for years with ongoing health needs. The NHS should not only be a sickness service, it should be a true health service.
Indeed, in my constituency of Bury St Edmunds & Stowmarket, I regularly hear from people living with ongoing health problems. Too many feel overlooked or frustrated by a system that is focused on emergency care, rather than long-term support.
Better community-based management for long-term conditions is not just a good idea. It is essential. It is not just about saving money, but also about freeing up beds, supporting families, and allowing people to stay in their homes for longer.
My father, a geriatrician in Teesside, encountered the same problem as he was participating in the 1960s and 1970s. He tackled it by pioneering day hospitals, where elderly patients could receive integrated treatment during the day, and then return home in the evening.
Today, the case for community-based care is stronger than ever. Joined-up services and continuity of care are essential. They prevent people from being shuttled from one hospital department to another, consign to the past the image of an older lady lying in a trolley in a hospital corridor at three in the morning because of a flareup that should have been managed in primary care.
We now need to bring this model to every part of the country. Community health hubs could be transformative. These centres would stay open into the evenings and be staffed by nurses, community mental health teams, pharmacists, and GPs who know the families they care for. These would be the first place people turn to if they feel unwell, not 999 or a long night in A&E.
However, it must also be recognised that long term conditions are exacerbated by poverty, poor nutrition, and inadequate housing are at the heart of so much ill health in our country.
Just as a previous Government once tackled crime and the causes of crime, we must now address chronic disease and the causes of chronic disease. By expanding community care, pioneering new technology and investing in preventative care, we can lay the foundation for a healthier society, save money for the exchequer, and give people a more equal shot at life.
We must expand community care, pioneer new tech and invest in preventative care to become a healthier nation
