Labour Party Conference 2025: Reflections from a week in Liverpool
As Labour marked its first full year in government, the 2025 Annual Conference in Liverpool offered some direction for health and care policy. We heard updates from Ministers on workforce transformation and the evolving role of neighbourhood health teams – both central to Labour’s 10-Year Plan for Health and Care in England. Below are the key points we learnt for those working in health and social care.
NHS Online coming in 2027
Across the conference, there was significant emphasis on optimising the existing health and care workforce through efficiency gains, including better harnessing of AI and digital tools.
In his keynote speech on Tuesday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the creation of NHS Online, a new 'online hospital' that will allow patients to book tests, access prescriptions, receive clinical advice and manage appointments through the NHS app.
The service is expected to deliver 8.5 million additional appointments over three years.
Neighbourhood health pilots are central to Labour’s vision for community-based care
A major theme across the conference was the shift away from hospital-based care toward community-led models – with neighbourhood health teams positioned as the future of integrated service delivery.
To support this, Labour has launched 43 pilot sites across England, testing new approaches to multidisciplinary working, prevention and personalised care.
These pilots are designed to shift services closer to where people live, reduce reliance on hospitals and support more preventative, joined-up support.
This shift towards local empowerment creates an opportunity for occupational therapists to influence service design – making sure that prevention, independence and participation are built into the foundations of community care. It’s an agenda occupational therapists have long championed, but we’re still waiting to see how OTs will be embedded within neighbourhood health pilot sites.
A £500 million Fair Pay Agreement brings welcome focus on the social care workforce
Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, announced a £500 million investment to establish a Fair Pay Agreement for adult social care workers across England.
This aims to improve pay and conditions for a workforce that has long been undervalued.
While this is a positive step towards addressing inequalities, wider reform of social care remains unresolved. We now await the independent review of social care led by Baroness Casey, which will be crucial in setting the direction for long-term.
The 10-Year workforce plan consultation is now open – make your voice heard
Ministers confirmed that the consultation on the 10-Year Workforce Plan is now live.
While the plan emphasises optimising the existing workforce, rather than large-scale expansion, it highlights several key priorities:
- Prevention and early intervention – making better use of professional skills to reduce avoidable demand.
- Flexible and fulfilling careers – ensuring staff can move more easily between roles and settings.
- Digital innovation and AI – embedding technology to support professionals and improve productivity.
- New roles and multidisciplinary working – enabling the workforce to deliver care in new and more integrated ways.
This consultation is a vital opportunity for occupational therapists to shape how these proposals are implemented. By highlighting both the challenges and the solutions OTs bring – particularly in prevention, rehabilitation and community-based care – we can ensure the workforce plan delivers for the people who rely on our profession.
Want to get involved?
Professionals are encouraged to give their views using the 10 Year Workforce Plan – call for evidence document - GOV.UK
Final thoughts
Labour’s first year in government has set a clear direction: a shift away from centralised, hospital-based care toward community-led, digitally enabled and locally driven services.
The announcements at this year’s conference - from the launch of neighbourhood health pilots to the Fair Pay Agreement and NHS Online - signal a health system in transition.
But transformation depends on the workforce.
The 10-Year Workforce Plan consultation is an opportunity to shape how occupational therapists are supported, deployed and recognised within this new landscape. Whether it’s embedding OTs in neighbourhood teams, investing in community roles or ensuring digital innovation enhances rather than replaces therapeutic care – our voice matters.
We will be responding to the consultation, and we urge our members and partners to do the same. This is our moment to influence the future – not just for our profession, but for the people and communities we serve.