The Government launched Change NHS to hear your views, experiences, and ideas, which will shape a new 10 Year Health Plan for England. Since then, the biggest-ever conversation about the future of the NHS, with over 220,000 contributions from the public and health and care staff, has taken place.
I was proud to host a workshop at Oakley Road in Southampton, bringing together colleagues from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s Southampton and South West (SSW) division, along with our incredible local community, to hear how we can best protect and future-proof the NHS for everyone who works in it and uses it right here in Southampton.
The event was in a packed-out room- from NHS staff, wider local healthcare professionals, and Southampton City Council’s public health team to carers, local community organisations, and individuals with lived experience. It was a powerful mix of insight, passion and purpose – all aimed at shaping the NHS 10-Year Plan with real voices from our city.
We were joined by Alasdair Snell, Managing Director for the Southampton and South West division at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, who spoke about the need to bring both communities and staff into the planning and future delivery of care.
He said, “It was great to come together as a health and care community to contribute to important conversations around how we in HIOWH, alongside other healthcare organisations, primary care, our communities and partners, can bring people fully into shaping and driving forward the future of the NHS together across Southampton and wider.
“There was a shared passion, ambition and consensus to drive forward the prevention agenda, enabling and supporting our communities to lead their healthiest and most resilient lives possible and provide care and support closer to home.”
The workshop focused on the three key pillars– a move towards making better use of technology, bringing care closer to communities, and putting prevention at the heart of our healthcare model. Conversations were honest, constructive and at times emotional – exactly what’s needed if we’re to make lasting change.
It was important to me to hear directly from those working on the frontline, as well as local residentswith real experience of the NHS – both the good and the challenging. I’ve taken away many important questions, insights, and suggestions, which I’ll be sharing with my parliamentary colleagues.
After the workshop, I had the opportunity to visit the South of England Rehabilitation Centre (SERC), just a short walk away. I was hugely impressed by the state-of-the-art facilities – including two 25-bed wards over two floors, an expanded gymnasium, a beautiful accessible courtyard, and an Assisted Daily Living suite. It was heartening to see how these thoughtful design features are helping prepare patients for independent life beyond hospital. I’m so proud to have this in Southampton. We need more purpose-built facilities with patients in mind.
I’m so pleased Southampton’s voices will be part of shaping our government plans. Thank you to everyone who got involved, who shared their stories and experiences, and suggested what more we can do together.