The NHS 10-Year Health Plan: Our response and what it means for you

The Government has released their new NHS 10 Year Plan, available to read in full online here. 

Summary of the Plan

• Core Aim: Modernise the NHS to deliver faster, more personalised, digitally enabled care.
• Three Strategic Shifts:
  • Move care closer to home through prevention and community services.
  • Shift from analogue to digital, with the NHS App central to access and feedback.
  • Focus on staying well, not just treating illness.
• Key Changes:
  • Creation of a National Care Platform to unify digital access.
  • Overhaul of urgent and primary care to reduce pressure on hospitals.
  • Expansion of personalised care and use of data to tailor services.
  • Integration of patient voice into NHS structures, replacing Healthwatch England with a National Director of Patient Experience.
  • Increased role for Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in delivering local change.
• By 2026: All NHS providers must routinely use patient feedback to improve care delivery.

What the Plan says about Patient Feedback

It states that patient feedback will be continuously gathered through digital platforms like the NHS App, allowing people to share experiences and preferences in real time. Feedback will be used to co-design digital services, improve care pathways, and support personalisation. 

The plan emphasizes a shift to user-centred design, where patient input directly shapes the development and improvement of services—not just at the outset, but through iterative, ongoing engagement.

What the Plan says about the role of Healthwatch 

The plan confirms that Healthwatch will close and proposes bringing the Healthwatch function into the Department of Health and Social Care, under a new National Director of Patient Experience, who will oversee the collection and public reporting of patient and carer feedback. 

This role will absorb Healthwatch England and the Patient Safety Commissioner’s work. Locally, Healthwatch’s healthcare role will be merged with NHS engagement teams, while social care functions will shift to local authorities. All NHS providers must use patient feedback to inform care by 2026.

What NHS Devon said about the Plan 

To support the development of the national 10 Year Health Plan, One Devon partners led a bespoke engagement programme to ensure the views of the Devon population were also captured to inform locally priorities and strategy.

It was co-designed in collaboration with Healthwatch Devon, Plymouth and Torbay and feedback was gained from the membership of the Devon Engagement Partnership (DEP). In total, we received more than 3,400 individual pieces of feedback. 

You can read more about our involvement with this and view our engagement video by clicking here. 

The approach taken in Devon was considered as a leading example by regional colleagues and most ICBs across the southwest followed the same approach.

We are currently finalising a local report, which will be presented at NHS Devon’s Board on 31 July and then shared with staff, stakeholders and the public – and published on our website. Thank you to everyone who has helped to shape the local plan.

Our response in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay

We recognise that change is essential to ensure people can access better care, closer to where they live. We support the plan’s aim to make better use of technology to help people stay healthy and live well for longer. We also welcome the focus on preventing illness in the first place — not just treating problems once they arise.

The plan adopts many recommendations made by Healthwatch in our role as the statutory and independent champion for the voice of patients and the public. 

However, whilst the plan focuses heavily on digital transformation and system integration, in our opinion it gives limited attention to independent oversight, equity for non-digital users, or long-term accountability.

We know that poor satisfaction levels with care are linked to more than how quickly people are seen. Among the other things absent from the plan are:

• Increased support for people with disabilities and communication needs to interact with the NHS.
• Better cost-of-living support, including improved schemes to help people with healthcare costs, such as transport.
• More systematic offers of help and support for people while waiting for care. 

Given our role in shaping the plan and acting as the public champion for the last 12 years, we are, of course, disappointed that the plan confirms that Healthwatch will be closed. 

We want to say a heartfelt thank you for the messages of support we’ve received from people across the NHS, local councils, voluntary organisations, and the public. These messages mean a great deal to our team — including our staff, volunteers, and trustees.

We remain committed to delivering local Healthwatch to the highest standards, including our 2025/26 workplan - shaped by local people and focused on what matters most to them.

While we await further detailed clarity on the government’s proposals via the latest DASH review, it’s business as usual for us: listening, signposting, and ensuring the voices of people in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay are heard where health and care decisions are made.

You can read our full response to the announcement by clicking here.