Hertfordshire and West Essex Joint Forward Plan 2025 – 2030

This plan, which supports the delivery of our Medium Term Plan, is based on the changes the NHS needs to make to help people in our area live healthier lives for longer:

• reducing health inequalities
• putting in place a more community-based, anticipatory model of care that prioritises early help
• delivering true integration of health and care services
• involving and supporting patients to manage and plan their health and care in collaboration with the staff and carers who support them
• delivering on our priorities for improving the health and wellbeing of our population in a financially sustainable way.

We have made progress across a number of these areas, some of which are set out in this plan.

For example, more than 5,000 people aged over 40 are now having their blood pressure checked each month – helping them to avoid the potentially devastating health consequences of undiagnosed hypertension. More than 200 pharmacies across Hertfordshire and west Essex are supporting our drive to improve access to this quick and pain-free test.

The uptake of the NHS app has increased significantly, with our patients logging into the app 1.5 million times in October 2024 – a doubling in use compared with the same period in 2023, with 121,000 repeat prescriptions ordered in this way during that month. This is a significant improvement in convenience for patients and productivity for GP practice and pharmacy staff.

We are proud that in the last year, 3.5% more GP appointments were held in our area when compared to 23-24. This increase has been supported by more primary care staff working in a variety of roles, which has enabled patients to access the right care first time.

For those experiencing serious ill health, more than 506 ‘virtual ward’ beds are now available across Hertfordshire and west Essex, enabling people with a wide range of health needs to be expertly cared for by integrated neighbourhood teams at home, where we know that their recovery is usually quicker and more comfortable. This is just one of the ways in which we are prioritising delivering care in people’s own homes or local neighbourhoods, with teams of professionals from different organisations working together for patients.

We have added more mental health help in emergency departments in peak times, funded the extended opening of mental health ‘crisis houses’, and supported more than 700 people at the new Mental Health Urgent Care Centre at the Lister Hospital between January and December 2024. More than 80% of people using the Urgent Care Centre did not need to be admitted to hospital and were supported to return home or on to other help. Now the Urgent Care Centre is fully open, people can walk-in to the service directly and get help without a referral.

These steps forward in preventative healthcare, community-based help and harnessing the power of digital technology are very much in line with the principles of the developing national NHS 10 Year Plan, and we look forward to the publication of that document.

However, as a system there is still a lot more to do to provide consistently timely, high-quality NHS care with the funds and infrastructure we have available. It is disappointing that our hospitals are not included in wave 1 of the national New Hospitals Programme, although it is positive that they will be next in line to begin construction between 2032 and 2034. The news will give our Trusts more time to develop their proposals with their communities.

As we plan ahead, we are facing the challenge of meeting the growing health needs of our increasingly ageing population within the financial constraints of a very tight budget. To help to close the gaps which some patients experience between GP, hospital, and community-based services, our Integrated Care Board is working to begin the process of delegating some of our responsibilities for planning, paying for and monitoring the quality of health services to our established Health and Care Partnerships. These are the local partnerships made up of health and care organisations, local government and the voluntary and community sector.

Health and Care Partnerships will work together more closely than ever to ensure that the care they provide is centred around the needs of patients and delivered effectively and efficiently. We look forward to seeing the benefits of these plans in improved patient care across Hertfordshire and west Essex.

Thank you for reading this Joint Forward Plan, which has been endorsed by both Essex and Hertfordshire Health and Wellbeing Boards.

Our Joint Forward Plan was created prior to government announcements concerning the future of NHS England and ICB’s and we may update our plan during the coming year to reflect the impact of these changes.

With the collective commitment and expertise of the Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care System, we are confident that we can deliver on our ambition to help build a brighter and healthier future for everyone who lives and works in our area.

Dr Jane Halpin, Chief Executive
Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB)

Rt. Hon. Paul Burstow, Chair
Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB)

Hertfordshire and West Essex Joint Forward Plan 2025 – 2030 (2MB pdf)

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