NHS 10-Year Health Plan - What It Could Mean for PKD Care
Earlier today, the Government published its 10-Year Health Plan for England, called Fit for the Future. The plan promises to deliver three big changes in the way healthcare works: moving care from hospitals into communities, going from analogue to digital, and shifting the focus from treating sickness to preventing it.
While we’re still reviewing the full details, here’s what we know so far—and what it could mean for people living with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) both ADPKD and ARPKD and all kidney diseases.
Hospital to Community: Care Delivered Closer to Home
The Plan introduces a “Neighbourhood Health Service” model. This means care will happen more in local communities—ideally in people’s homes or nearby health centres, and only in hospitals when necessary. For kidney patients, this could improve access to home dialysis and other treatments, making care more convenient and personalised.
Importantly, the Government has said it will review how services are funded by breaking up existing “block contracts.” These contracts have been a barrier to supporting home therapies for many kidney patients, so changes here could give people more choice about how and where they receive their care.
Sickness to Prevention: Tackling Illness Before It Starts
A big part of the Plan is about keeping people healthier for longer. It will focus on early detection and prevention of long-term conditions like cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes—both of which are major risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) such as PKD.
Pilot projects, called “Prevention Accelerators,” will be run in some local areas to help communities get better at spotting and treating these risks early. This could slow the development of kidney disease and improve long-term outcomes.
Analogue to Digital: Smarter, Data-Driven Healthcare
The Plan also aims to use digital tools to track patients’ health in real time. This could allow doctors to act sooner if someone’s condition worsens. While the details are still to come, this could mean better support for people managing kidney conditions at home.
What’s Next?
The Government also plans to update national healthcare standards. We, along with other charities, are pushing for a National Service Framework for kidney disease to ensure these plans meet the needs of kidney and PKD patients. We’ll continue to monitor the Plan as more details are shared—and keep you informed every step of the way.
If you would like to speak to us about what support we can offer you or a loved one, please visit PKD Support or contact us today and speak to a member of our team.
ARPKD, Mental health, PKD, PKDTreatment, Guidelines
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