NHS England: Priorities and operational planning guidance 2024/25

Summary

The NHS England 2024/25 priorities and operational planning guidance reconfirms the ongoing need to recover core services and improve productivity, making progress in delivering the key NHS Long Term Plan ambitions and continuing to transform the NHS for the future.

Content

The guidance outlines NHS England's overall priority in 2024/25, which remain the recovery of core services and productivity following the Covid-19 pandemic, to:

• Maintain collective focus on the overall quality and safety of our services, particularly maternity and neonatal services, and reduce inequalities in line with the Core20PLUS5 approach.
• Improve ambulance response and A&E waiting times by supporting admissions avoidance and hospital discharge, and maintaining the increased acute bed and ambulance service capacity that systems and individual providers committed to put in place for the final quarter of 2023/24.
• Reduce elective long waits and improve performance against the core cancer and diagnostic standards.
• Make it easier for people to access community and primary care services, particularly general practice and dentistry.
• Improve access to mental health services so that more people of all ages receive the treatment they need.
• Improve staff experience, retention and attendance.

Summary:

Further reading:

• NHS Confederation summary: 2024/25 NHS priorities and operational planning guidance
• NHS Providers briefing: 2024-25-priorities-and-operational-planing-guidance.pdf