Long-term plan sets out mental health ambitions

In January, to great fanfare, the prime minister announced the launch of the new NHS Long Term Plan. The plan aims to improve the quality of patient care and health outcomes, setting out how the £20.5 billion budget settlement for the NHS, announced in summer 2018, will be spent over the next five years.

The plan sets out a focus on ‘building an NHS fit for the future’ and the aim of enabling everyone to get the best start in life, helping communities to live well, and helping people to age well. It was developed in partnership with frontline health and care staff, patients and their families.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said: “The NHS Long Term Plan, backed by a historic commitment of an extra £20.5 billion a year from taxpayers, marks an important moment not just for the health service but for the lives of millions of patients and hardworking NHS staff across the country.