Prevention, integration and implementation: healthcare leaders’ views on the major conditions strategy (NHS Confederation, 14 July 2023)

Summary

The major conditions strategy is a national framework being developed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID). It will focus on six major groups of conditions:

1. cancers
2. cardiovascular diseases, including stroke and diabetes
3. chronic respiratory diseases
4. dementia
5. mental ill health
6. musculoskeletal disorders

This briefing by NHS Confederation examines how the upcoming major conditions strategy can set the conditions to prevent, treat and manage multimorbidity in England.

Content

Key points

• NHS leaders have identified key levers that the major conditions strategy can use to maximise its impact on healthy life expectancy and reduce inequalities. These fall under three categories: create a healthy society, make the most of existing infrastructure and policy and implementation.
• The major conditions strategy will allow health services to evolve from a single-disease approach to a multimorbidity approach, which will match how patients need to use the service.
• Integrated care systems will provide vital infrastructure for the sharing of data, integration of services and creation of a patient-centred approach to health and care provision.
• A health service designed around multimorbidity would be a step-change for patients and requires a series of shifts to be made in both focus and provision.