New government’s plan for health and social care in England

The new government has set out its plans for the NHS and social care in England—a “plan for patients.”1 The experience for too many patients in the NHS right now is grim. In August 2022, around 28 000 people waited more than 12 hours on trolleys in emergency departments for a hospital bed—over three times more than in the whole of 2019.2 The plan was billed as a “major intervention” to improve services.3 But the reality contained limited new measures and will do little for patients.

The plan introduces an “expectation” that people will be able to get an appointment with their general practice within two weeks, and that patients with urgent needs will be seen on the same day. Public satisfaction with general practice is falling,4 and more people are struggling to make appointments.5 But most patients (85% in July 2022) already get an appointment within two weeks of booking—almost half (44%) on the same day.6 People value speed of access but …