The 10-Year Plan: What Does it Mean for NHS NEDs?

GGi’s July webinar for NHS non-executive directors (NEDs) focused on the NHS 10-Year Plan and what it means for those in governance roles. The session was chaired by GGi principal consultant Simon Hall and featured guest speaker Aidan Rave, GGi partner and a NED at Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire ICB.

Aidan opened the session with a critique of the plan. While its three core shifts—hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention—are long-standing and intuitively correct, the lack of financial commitment, political honesty, and implementation detail makes it feel more like a list of aspirations than a true strategy, he said. Describing it as a set of guiding principles rather than a concrete plan, Aidan challenged attendees to look beyond its limitations and see its potential as a framework for locally driven transformation.

His reflections set the stage for a wide-ranging discussion. Many NEDs welcomed the opportunity to step back from performance and finance papers and explore the broader role of governance in system reform. Several spoke of the need to empower local leaders, noting that top-down direction too often stifles innovation. Others underlined the importance of strong relationships—not just within the NHS, but across local government, the VCSE sector, and with the communities the NHS serves.

A recurring theme was the importance of public narrative. Participants reflected on the risks of low public confidence and misunderstanding. Shifting care out of hospitals can be seen as a failure unless it is accompanied by honest, empathetic communication about why it’s better for patients—and what it means for citizens' roles in their own care.

The session also highlighted the need for courage. Participants urged each other not to fall into 'learned helplessness'—waiting for national permission to act. Instead, NEDs should champion strategic risk-taking, support their executive teams to try new approaches, and help drive change in their local systems.

As Simon closed the session, the message was clear: the 10-Year Plan may be imperfect, but it offers a platform for leadership. It’s up to NEDs to use it.