Strategic development and provisional project pipeline (Annex A)
1. The Committee reviewed the proposed approach to strategy development and the emerging project pipeline, emphasising support for more consistent methodology and rigour and stronger cross‑directorate collaboration. Members highlighted the need for common prioritisation principles focused on cost, quality and outcomes and alignment with the 10‑Year Health Plan.
Medium-term urgent and emergency care strategy
2. The Committee reviewed the proposed approach to the redesign of the Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) pathway.
3. The Committee welcomed the ambition of the programme and stressed the need for maintaining clear links with emerging work on Neighbourhood Health.
4. The Committee agreed that UEC redesign should align closely with the elective care strategy, with consistent modelling tools, clear accountability, and coordinated technology integration.
Professional strategy for nursing and midwifery
5. The Committee reviewed the new nursing and midwifery strategy, which focuses on modernisation, community‑based care, digital integration, education reform, and strengthening recruitment, retention, and professional development. Members noted the broad scope of the strategy, informed by extensive engagement across sectors and professions. Key discussions centred on education challenges, the need for more flexible workforce models, and targeted cultural interventions to support retention and leadership. The Committee supported a unified strategy for nursing and midwifery.
10 year workforce plan development and strategic assumptions
6. The Committee reviewed modelling work to support the development of the 10‑Year Workforce Plan, highlighting key assumptions around workforce demand, productivity, and shifting care closer to communities.
7. Members emphasised that workforce planning must be an iterative process aligned with service redesign, ensuring staffing, skills, and affordability are fully considered.
Payment system objectives and proposed work priorities
8. The Committee reviewed emerging thinking on payment system reform, centred on linking payment to patient experience, activity, true service costs, and the rollout of neighbourhood health services.
9. The Committee noted the four core objectives for payment system reform: linking payment to patient experience; re-establishing the link between payment and activity by moving away from block contracts; ensuring prices reflect what services should cost; and supporting neighbourhood health services. The reform programme will require infrastructure changes, price resets, and software upgrades.
10. Member discussed the need for payment reform to align with clinical and multi‑professional education and training.
11. The Committee also received an update on systems participating in the 2026/27 neighbourhood payment pilot.
Productivity plan
12. The Committee reviewed the Productivity Plan aimed at achieving 2% annual productivity growth.
13. The Committee discussed reducing unwarranted variation as the core strategy for baseline productivity gains, alongside pursuing more disruptive innovations, such as expanded day‑case surgery, scaled diagnostic models, and AI to shift the productivity frontier.
14. The Committee emphasised alignment with wider workforce, technology, and neighbourhood strategies, the need to manage stranded costs, and the importance of robust system‑level modelling to guide investment and transformation.
Annex A – Strategy Committee project pipeline
Set out below is the list of current or planned strategy and policy projects that are being reviewed in the Strategy Committee. The list is updated as work programmes evolve.
- 10 Year Health Plan – outcomes-based strategic roadmap
- Urgent and Emergency Care Strategy
- Elective Care Strategy
- Mental Health Supply Side Review
- Children and Young People (CYP) Strategy
- Strategic Review of Specialised Services
- 10 Year Workforce Plan
- Professional Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery
- Payment System Reform (various strands)
- Market Management Review
- Commercial Strategy (various strands)
- Dental Reform
- Better Care Fund Reform
- GMS Contract Reform
In addition, there are several important programmes of work which are being reviewed in other committees, including Quality Strategy (National Quality Board) and Continuing Healthcare Reform (Finance and Performance Committee).