Country Correspondents: Roosa Tikkanen and Adam Briggs
In January, England’s National Health Service (NHS) released its new Long Term Plan, aiming to save nearly half a million more lives over the next five years. The GBP 20.5 billion (USD 26.11 billion) initiative features a historic commitment to community-based care, with a guarantee that investments in primary, community, and mental health care will grow faster than the overall budget for NHS England. It also seeks to expand use of digital health services, genetic screening, and artificial intelligence. Critics call the proposal unrealistic, given workforce shortages.