PM Sets Out Blueprint For Decade Of National Renewal

The Prime Minister has set out the milestones for how government will deliver on its national missions through a Plan for Change to drive real improvements for working people.

The milestones for change set out in the plan will track the government’s progress against each of the missions by the end of the parliament, ensuring accountability to the public.

Speaking at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, the PM set out how the milestones have been chosen as an ambitious yet honest programme for government to galvanise efforts across government, and how they will require the attention and focus of government to focus relentlessly on what matters most to working people in every corner of the UK in order to bring about a decade of national renewal.

The milestones set out in today’s ‘Plan for Change’ are:

• Raising living standards in every part of the United Kingdom, so working people have more money in their pocket as we aim to deliver the highest sustained growth in the G7, with higher Real Household Disposable Income per person and GDP per capita by the end of the Parliament.
• Rebuilding Britain with 1.5 million homes in England and fast-tracking planning decisions on at least 150 major economic infrastructure projects.
• Ending hospital backlogs to meet the NHS standard of 92% of patients in England waiting no longer than 18 weeks for elective treatment.
• Putting police back on the beat with a named officer for every neighbourhood, and 13,000 additional officers, PCSOs and special constables in neighbourhood roles in England and Wales.
• Giving children the best start in life, with a record 75% of five-year-olds in England ready to learn when they start school.
• Securing home-grown energy, protecting billpayers, and putting us on track to at least 95% Clean Power by 2030, while accelerating the UK to net zero.

Chief Executive of the Health Foundation, Dr Jennifer Dixon said:
“Our polling shows that satisfaction with NHS services is at a record low, so it is not surprising that the Prime Minister has chosen to focus on NHS waiting times as one of the six key pledges he has laid out today.”

“Although it is a right under the NHS Constitution, the target that 92% of patients should receive hospital treatment within 18 weeks of referral from their GP has not been met for nearly a decade. This shows how far standards slipped under previous governments and the scale of the challenge ahead.”

“Our analysis indicates that meeting the pledge made today would require improvements similar to those achieved by the last Labour government in the 2000s. This took many years, was backed by a more significant increase in funding than is likely to be on offer this time and was achieved in more promising circumstances than the NHS faces today.”

“It is vital that the focus on reducing waits for routine hospital procedures does not detract from other key priorities, including the three big shifts the Secretary of State has emphasised will be at the heart of the government’s 10 year health plan – from hospital to community, from analogue to digital and from sickness to prevention. Without significant investment in additional capacity, new technology and skills to streamline care and boost productivity, it is hard to see how these objectives can be squared with the focus on hospital treatment set out by the Prime Minister today.”

Dr Becks Fisher of the Nuffield Trust said:
“It’s unsurprising to see the Prime Minister double down on the NHS target for 92% of patients to start hospital treatment no later than 18 weeks from seeing their GP. Too many patients continue to wait too long for consultant care, with growing numbers feeling forced to go private. Public opinion is firmly in favour of tackling waiting times.

“While the promise of 40,000 extra appointments a week is welcome, we know they will only make a small dent in the waiting list. Ambitious targets often have unintended consequences, and policymakers will need to think carefully about trade-offs. The NHS day-to-day budget is increasing by a significant but far from unlimited 3% this year and next. It is difficult to see how a focus that requires far more hospital treatment can happen at the same time as goals to provide much more care outside hospital and improve prevention.

“Notably missing today are the other key commitments from the health mission’s original version: a specific commitment to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions in England, and reforms to social care. These remain crucial issues, and government must pick them up with every bit as much focus.”