The NHS Long Term Plan commits to reshaping the NHS over the next decade, with a strong focus on rehabilitation.
These briefings from the CSP and relevant professional networks highlight the Plan's commitments for certain areas, and how you can get involved in taking the Plan forward in your area.
Cardiovascular health
The CSP and the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in cardiovascular rehabilitation (ACPICR) are engaging with NHS England and other stakeholders such as the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (BACPR), to influence the national direction being taken to put the Long Term Plan into practice.
The Long Term Plan sets out a bold ambition for improving cardiovascular health care, expecting that by 2028 the proportion of cardiac patients accessing cardiac rehabilitation will be amongst the best in Europe, with up to 85% of those eligible accessing care. The Long Term Plan further states it will test and learn from services which deliver joint cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation models.
Pelvic floor rehabilitation
The CSP and Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy (POGP) professional network are engaging with NHS England to influence the national direction being taken to put the Plan into practice.
The Plan commits NHS England to improve access to postnatal physiotherapy to support women recovering from childbirth, and improve training for clinicians within the NHS.
Respiratory care
The CSP and Association for Chartered Physiotherapists in Respiratory Care (ACPRC) are engaging with NHS England to influence the national direction being taken to put the Plan into practice, and working as members of the Taskforce for Lung Health to support the implementation of the respiratory clinical priority workstream in the Plan.
The Long Term Plan promises a radical expansion of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) services over 10 years through increasing rates of referral of patients eligible for pulmonary rehabilitation, widening eligibility. It also highlights respiratory health within work over the next five years to ramp up support for people to self-manage their own health over the next five years.
The Long Term Plan further states it will test and learn from services which deliver joint cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation models.
Stroke
The CSP and the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Neurology (ACPIN) are engaging with NHS England and stakeholders like the Stroke Association, to influence the national direction being given to put thse Long Term Plan into practice.
The Long Term Plan promises higher intensity care models of stroke rehabilitation, with a particular focus on rehab outside of hospitals. Stroke rehabilitation is one of the areas that the plan says must see early change, with improvements in post hospital stroke rehabilitation by 2020.
The CSP and ACPIN want to ensure not only that the commitments on stroke rehabilitation are fully realised, but that they also support greater investment in rehabilitation for patients with all neurological conditions.
Oncology and palliative care
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) and Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Oncology and Palliative Care (ACPOPC) are engaging with NHS England and stakeholders like Macmillan, to influence the national direction being taken to put the Long Term Plan into practice.
The Long Term Plan promises that everyone with cancer will have a care plan based on a full assessment of their needs, and maximise the potential for community-based support.
It is up to physiotherapy and other rehabilitation clinicians to ensure that this personalised care includes rehabilitation, to optimise the effectiveness of treatment and manage the consequences of it – including symptoms that occur further down the line.
Older people
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) are working with AGILE, NHS England and other stakeholders to influence the national initiatives being implemented as part of the Long Term Plan to help future-proof the NHS.
The Long Term Plan aims to improve health outcomes and care quality for all people in England. With the number of people aged 60+ in England expected to increase to 18.5 million by 2025, STP implementation plans must have a strong focus on care and support for older people if the Long Term Plan vision of enabling people to remain healthy in their own homes for longer is to be realised.