Commissioning plans and principles

Commissioning plans and principles

What Matters Most is closely linked to how the NHS plans services and makes decisions about the future of health and care. It is not just about single service changes, but about helping shape priorities and difficult choices over the next three to five years.

What we did

Workshops and events  are used to:

  • explain the wider picture, including money pressures, in a clear and accessible way
  • hear what people think should be prioritised
  • test how shared principles could be used in real NHS decision‑making

Feedback from earlier engagement was used to create a first set of principles to guide future decisions. These were tested and improved through the first What Matters Most activity, which included an event in Maidstone and an online survey.

What we heard

What we heard

From this, key themes emerged:

  • putting people at the centre of care, with services joining up around individuals rather than organisations
  • better access and timeliness, including shorter waits, more local services and fewer practical barriers such as transport
  • clearer, joined‑up communication, with shared records, coordinated care and information that is easy to understand

These principles are now being used to guide medium‑ and long‑term planning and to support clear and open decision‑making when resources are limited. They have been refined following the engagement and are included in the draft Five year strategic plan.

At the event, senior leads from primary care, urgent and emergency care, planned care and mental health, learning disability and autism services took part in group discussions. People raised issues such as improving communication with patient representatives and the need for more stable, longer‑term funding for voluntary and community organisations. This feedback has helped shape the Five-year strategic plan.