How would you improve your NHS?

The NHS is asking people across Humber and North Yorkshire what matters to them when it comes to their healthcare and what needs to be improved within the NHS.

This campaign is called "We need to talk".

It will share some of the difficulties faced by the NHS, whilst giving people an opportunity to signal how they might want the NHS to change to meet the challenges of today and the demands of the future.

In a snap poll carried out by NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board ahead of the public listening, almost 63 per cent of the 428 people who responded said the NHS needed to change.

The NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board is a statutory organisation accountable for NHS spend and performance on behalf of 1.7 million people across York, North Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, Hull, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire.

Health leaders in Humber and North Yorkshire say they want to create better community services closer to people's homes, more specialist hospitals and centres for excellence to provide the best emergency, expert and high-quality care for those who need it, make better use of technology, and focus on prevention and early intervention to ensure people live more years in good health.

Reducing gaps in life expectancy between people in our richest and poorest communities remains a key priority, together with creating an NHS workforce that's "adaptable, effective and happier".

The launch of We Need to Talk follows the publication of a report by Lord Ara Darzi into the state of our national health service. Lord Darzi concluded the NHS "is in a critical condition" but "its vital signs are strong".

The Government says a 10-year plan for the NHS will be published next year, but it has already said it wants to see more community care, better use of digital technology and more done to prevent ill health.

What the NHS wants to hear about

This autumn, the local NHS across Humber and North Yorkshire is embarking on We Need to Talk. Over four weeks, they want your ideas on how we can:

• Use technology better
• Improve the way we plan and organise our workforce to boost efficiency, adaptability and job satisfaction
• Focus on preventing illness rather than just treating it
• Listen to your needs and involve everyone in this conversation
• Move more care into the community
• Ensure patient safety and consistent high-quality care everywhere
• Focus on what matters most

Why action is needed

"In the NHS, we couldn’t ask for a more dedicated and compassionate workforce, so it is enormously frustrating when we can't always give people the care we would want to give because of the pressure the NHS is under.

"We have to be honest. Right now, the NHS is in serious trouble. And without action, we know many of the issues we're facing will only get worse, which isn't fair on patients or our staff.

"If you've struggled to get an appointment with your GP, can't see a dentist, spent hours waiting to be seen in an A&E, or months waiting for an operation, you will have experienced first-hand an NHS that's struggling to deal with a population that's generally in poorer health since COVID and buckling under the weight of demand.

"There have been some recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, but big shifts in the way we deliver health and care is needed."

Dr Nigel Wells from the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board

"We can't lose NHS services"

Louise Matron explains in the video below how we can't lose the NHS services.