HM Government
July 2019
The 2020s will be the decade of proactive, predictive, and personalised prevention through targeted support, tailored lifestyle advice, personalised care, and greater protection against future threats.
New technologies such as genomics and artificial intelligence will help us create a new prevention model that means the NHS will be there for people even before they are born.
Using data held by the NHS, and generated by smart devices worn by individuals, we will be able to usher in a new wave of intelligent public health where everyone has access to their health information and many more health interventions are personalised.
We are embedding genomics in routine healthcare and making the UK the home of the
genomic revolution, reviewing the NHS Health Check and setting out a bold future vision for NHS screening and launching phase 1 of a Predictive Prevention work programme from Public Health England.
We are annnouncing a smoke-free 2030 ambition, including options for revenue raising to
support action on smoking cessation.
As well, we are publishing Chapter 3 of the Childhood Obesity Strategy, including bold action on: infant feeding, clear labelling, food reformulation improving the nutritional content of foods,
and support for individuals to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. In addition, driving
forward policies in Chapter 2, including ending the sale of energy drinks to children.
We will launch a new health index to help us track the health of the nation, alongside other
top-level indicators like GDP, modernise the Healthy Child Programme, and consult on a new school toothbrushing scheme, and support water fluoridation.
The commitments outlined in this green paper signal a new approach for the health and care system. It will mean the government, both local and national, working with the health and care system, to put prevention at the centre of all our decision-making. But for it to succeed, and for us to transform the NHS and improve the nation's health over the next decade, individuals and communities must play their part too. Health is a shared responsibility and only by working together can we achieve our vision of healthier and happier lives for everyone.
