NHS England has published its Medium-Term Planning Framework, setting out operational targets for the health service over the next three years from 2026/27 to 2028/29. The framework has replaced the operational planning guidance from previous years, marking a shift from annual planning cycles to a longer approach over a number of years, enabling more stability for NHS providers and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to plan finances, services, and workforce.
The medium-term planning framework builds on Fit for the future: 10-year health plan for England, restating NHS England’s commitment to the three shifts:
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from hospital to community
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from analogue to digital
·
from sickness to prevention
The medium-term approach has been explained as a way of freeing up capacity to address the core challenges facing the NHS, improving care in the immediate term while also ensuring a sustainable future, aiming to reset the relationship between the centre and the service, to empower local NHS leaders to drive change.
Key priorities of the framework include reducing waiting times, improving access to community and mental health care, and boosting productivity.
By 2028/29, the NHS aims for:
· at least 92% of patients to be waiting 18 weeks or less for treatment
· improvements in Category 2 ambulance response times, to an average of 18 minutes
· 915,000 courses of NHS talking therapies with 53% reliable recovery rate and 71% reliable improvement rate
· A&E performance to reach 85% within four hours
The full list of national priorities and more information on next steps and submission requirements can be found here: Medium term planning framework – delivering change together 2026/27 to 2028/2
