NHS urged to have interaction meaningfully with faith groups

Responding to the federal government’s plans to reform the NHS, a faith-based group has said that it must move beyond “tokenistic” engagement with faith groups and develop meaningful strategic partnerships so as to higher serve patients.

Last week the federal government released its “10 Year Health Plan for England”, which stated that the NHS is currently in “critical condition” and desires to “reform or die”. The document repeats lots of the same political talking points of the last two or three a long time: more patient power, less bureaucracy, and more efficiency.

Slightly more substantive is the concept that so as to function properly, the NHS must undergo “three shifts”. These are a shift from treatment to prevention, a shift from analogue to digital, and a shift from hospital to community-based care.

The FaithAction group said that if the federal government really desires to create a system wherein community-based care becomes the norm, it must form partnerships with the voluntary, community and faith-based sectors of society.

The group said, “The NHS must begin to take into consideration ‘community’ not only by way of out-of-hospital clinics, but because the people and social infrastructure that hold our neighbourhoods together.

“There have to be recognition of the tireless, bread-and-butter work of charities, community groups and faith-based organisations in contributing to the prevention of sickness, and a greater integration of this work into strategic planning for the longer term, backed up by appropriate resourcing.”

The group also welcomed the federal government’s plan to maneuver from analogue to digital services, but warned that such a move could come on the expense of those with limited digital literacy or language barriers; each issues which voluntary and community groups could help address.

While welcoming indications from the federal government does indeed intend to have interaction with voluntary and faith-based groups, FaithAction said it was “disappointing” that there was an absence of detail as to what form this may take. 

It said that the NHS should make efforts to bring local communities with them.

“As the ten Year Plan brings with it sweeping structural changes and reduced budgets, including the abolishment of NHS England and Healthwatch, there’s a risk that collective, grassroots community voice gets lost within the noise. We can’t allow this to occur,” FaithAction said.