A SURVEY has been launched asking people how the NHS in Devon could be improved.

The answers collected will help shape the government’s 10 Year Health Plan and local NHS improvement programmes in Devon.

The 10 Year Health Plan will be published in spring 2025 and will be underlined by three big shifts in healthcare, namely “hospital to community”, “analogue to digital”, and “sickness to prevention”.

People are being encouraged to fill in the local survey even if they have already completed the national one. This is to ensure that insights from local people can be used to improve local services.

NHS Devon Medical Director for Primary Care Dr Alex Degan said: “Too many patients are waiting too long for the care they need and we must do better.

“NHS staff are facing an unprecedented number of challenges and are having to manage while often using outdated technology, seeing patients in aging buildings, and struggling to discharge patients when they’re ready to leave due to pressure in social care – all of which means patients are not getting the service they deserve.

“So, it is vital the health service innovates and adapts – as it has always done throughout its 76-year history – to design and deliver an NHS fit for the future.

“There is no NHS without the people who work in it, so we are asking staff to help us in our mission to build an NHS fit for the future.

“Whether you have a little to say or a lot, your views, experiences and ideas will shape immediate steps and long-term changes for the NHS.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make the NHS fit for the future and we need your views.”

You can fill in the survey online by visiting: onedevon.org.uk/get-involved/current-projects/nhs-10-year-plan/. Alternatively, telephone 0800 520 0640.

The deadline is February 28, 2025.