The ‘big shift’ from hospitals to communities

Photo by Paul Maguire/Adobe Stock

Central to the NHS 10-Year Health Plan for England, and government health policy more generally, is the commitment to shift care from hospital to community settings. This is not a new ambition: ‘care in the community’ was heavily promoted from at least the 1960s for people with mental health problems and learning disabilities. What are the chances of success today?

The annual lecture of the Cambridge Centre for Health Services Research (CCHSR) featured distinguished guest speaker Professor Martin Knapp. Drawing on experiences over many decades and looking particularly at evidence recently reviewed in four clinical areas – dementia, mental health, respiratory and cardiometabolic conditions – Professor Knapp assessed the innovation, readiness and implementation opportunities and challenges facing the NHS as it pursues this ‘big shift’.

About CCHSR

The Cambridge Centre for Health Services Research (CCHSR) is a collaboration between the University of Cambridge and RAND Europe. Founded in 2010, the Centre is co-led by Professor Stephen Morris, who became the RAND Professor of Healthcare Research in 2019, and Jon Sussex, Chief Economist at RAND Europe. It aims to inform health policy and practice by developing methods for measuring quality of care, and evaluating ways of improving the safety, effectiveness, efficiency and experience of care.