National Voices on the Major Conditions Strategy

To mark the publication of the government’s ‘case for change’ on how the country approaches the management of major conditions, we have laid out eight requirements the Major Conditions Strategy must meet to ensure it is successfully developed and implemented. 

National Voices sits on the Department of Health and Social Care’s Major Conditions Strategy External Advisory Group to ensure the needs of patients are central to discussions. To date, this group has successfully influenced the strategy to ensure it takes a life course approach (includes children and young people within its scope). We have also successfully encouraged the DHSC to draw on the existing evidence base previously gathered from communities and the Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise sector on mental health, cancer and dementia. 

To assist the government in the next stage of development, we are urging it to adopt the eight requirements the coalition believes the strategy must meet if it is to be successful.  

These are: 

1. Feel real to people and communities 
2. Show how funding and resourcing will meet demands 
3. Improve people’s experience of accessing care 
4. Take a broad view of prevention 
5. Tackle health inequalities 
6. Make people feel empowered 
7. Cover people’s differing needs at different stages of their life 
8. Place patient experience at the centre of success measurements 

Do feel free to share this report widely. Please email us: info@nationalvoices.org.uk with any reflections, or if you would like the report in a different format.