Suffolk doctors welcome proposals in NHS 10-year plan

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer unveiled his proposals for the health service on Thursday, including creating neighbourhood health centres to treat people closer to home. 

It is an announcement which has been welcomed with anticipation by health officials in Suffolk, with hopes it can place more emphasis on primary care. 

Dr John Havard, of Saxmundham Health (Image: Newsquest) Dr John Havard, of Saxmundham Health, said: "The current model is all about hospital care, and the new NHS must be primary care led if the NHS is to survive. 

"GPs need to play a pivotal role and we need more staff so we can once again deliver the service that patients deserve."

He added that "patients need and deserve to be seen and treated in the community", rather than in hospitals. 

Dr Richard West MBE, of Woolpit Health Centre, believes the neighbourhood centres "could be successful", providing they make people feel "that you are part of that neighbourhood."

Dr Richard West MBE, of Woolpit Health centre (Image: Newsquest) However, he raised concerns about proposals to move from an analogue focus to a digital, another key focus of the Government.

Mr West said while it is important to continue making advancements with technology, access needs to be maintained for everybody. 

"It is how to make sure that we have a broad enough focus that allows everybody to have a good access," he said.

"We need to be as inclusive as possible."

Health secretary Wes Streeting said on Thursday that moving hospital care into the community "will bring down devastating hospital waiting times". 

Hospital trusts in Suffolk are trying to increase the percentage of people waiting less than 18 weeks for treatment, but one has seen a downturn in their figures. 

West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is due to have 63.6% of its patients waiting for no more than the 18-week target, in what was a key pledge for Labour at the election last year, by March 2026.

West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is still expecting to meet its March 2026 target (Image: Newsquest) However, new data released by NHS England in June shows 55.5% of patients at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust were waiting less than 18 weeks for treatment as of the end of April, down from 58.6% at November 2024.

Nicola Cottington, chief operating officer at the trust, which covers West Suffolk Hospital and Newmarket Community Diagnostic Centre: “During the winter, we continued to prioritise the areas with some of our longest waiting patients, so they receive their treatment as soon as possible.

“Having made good progress against this over the past year, we expect to meet the 63.6% target by 31 March 2026. This is being supported thanks to increased diagnostic capacity and focusing our resources on the areas with the longest waiting patients."

It is understood more resources are being focused on the areas with the largest numbers of long waiting patients.

Efforts are also being made to bring down the number of patients waiting more than 18 weeks. 

Nick Hulme, chief executive at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (Image: Newsquest)

At East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, 55.2% of patients were waiting less than the 18-week timeframe. Its target for March 2026 is 60.1%.

Nick Hulme, chief executive at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said : “Our teams are working hard to see and assess everyone waiting for treatment in the communities we serve. We review all the patients on our waiting lists regularly and hold extra outpatient clinics and operating theatres wherever possible. 

“ESNEFT has a plan to deliver the national standard for patient waiting times."

These plans are being aided by new surgical theatres at Ipswich Hospital to treat more patients, as well as a new urgent treatment centre and accident and emergency department."