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The policy mandate
Prevention is no longer an optional ‘extra’ - it is a core part of the Government’s strategy to improving health and care services.
Before coming into government, the Labour Party’s manifesto pledged to “deliver a ‘prevention first’ revolution”, shifting from treatment to prevention, from hospital to community, and from analogue to digital. Following the 2024 General Election, this pledge has translated into a consistent focus of subsequent policy announcements, in particular the move towards more neighbourhood health and care services.
Other recent national policy and reform programmes reinforce the importance of prevention, including:
People at the Heart of Care
adult social care reform white paper, which highlights the role of prevention in ensuring the sustainability of care services
The Better Care Fund
which promotes proactive and preventative care as a means of improving outcomes and reducing demand on acute services
The NHS Long-Term Plan
which emphasises prevention and community-based care to reduce reliance on hospitals
Neighbourhood health guidelines 2025 / 26
which focus on an integrated neighbourhood level approach to prevention
Crucially, future devolution plans and local government reform will provide more autonomy for councils to shape integrated, preventative models of care - but only if prevention is embedded as a strategic priority from the outset.
