Learning disabilities and autism added to long-term plan clinical priorities

The groups will be among up to 20 workstreams that will feed into the long-term plan, which is set to be published in November. It is unclear whether there will be further clinical priority groups announced.

Eleven other workstreams - covering issues such as efficiency and workforce - have also been announced.

Other contributors which have so far been confirmed include; Juliet Bouverie, Stroke Association CEO, and Simon Gillespie, British Heart Foundation CEO (both on cardiovascular and respiratory); Paula Head, University Hospital Southampton FT CEO (on cancer); Sheena Kuminsky, CEO of Cheshire and Wirral Partnership FT (mental health); and Rob Webster, CEO of South West Yorkshire Partnership FT, on learning disabilities.

In an interview with HSJ last month NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens said there would be “a new focus” on cardiovascular disease, along with mental health and cancer. These have been given their own workstreams and are now joined by another looking at learning disabilities and autism.

Professor Stephen Powis, medical director of NHS England, said: “As we develop a long term plan for the NHS we want to hear from doctors, nurses, therapists, midwives and other NHS staff, along with patient groups and the public, about the improvements that can be delivered over the next decade.

“This is a rare opportunity to not just lock in progress that has been made on cancer, mental health and other critical services for children, working age adults and older people, but also to lift our eyes to the horizon, ask what kind of health service the country will need in 10 years’ time, and how we use the next five years of funding certainty to move towards that.”