Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that care for people living with long-term conditions is provided in their local area.

Most services for long-term conditions are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local population. It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users, and patient groups, to develop services and care pathways that are convenient and meet patients’ needs.

We have committed to develop a 10-Year Health Plan to deliver an NHS fit for the future. While it’s too soon to say exactly what will be in the plan, it will set the vision for what good joined-up care looks like for people with long-term complex health needs.

The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver three big shifts, from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their long-term conditions closer to home.

As of December 2024, community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are now delivering additional tests and checks at 168 sites across the country. Since July 2021, CDCs have delivered over 12.2 million additional tests.