What is Sir Keir Starmer's 10-year plan to save the NHS?

3 July 2025, 15:54 | Updated: 3 July 2025, 16:07

Sir Keir Starmer has hailed the government’s 10-year plan for the NHS, saying the “future already looks better” for the beleaguered service.

The prime minister set out proposals on Thursday which he said would bring care much closer to people’s homes, reducing the reliance on hospitals and on A&E.

He was accompanied for the launch in east London by Rachel Reeves, the chancellor who is keen to show unity with the PM following her tearful display in the Commons on Wednesday. They joined health secretary Wes Streeting.

Read also: We're fixing the foundations of Britain - to make it a Britain you feel proud to live in once again, writes Keir Starmer

Under the changes, there will be fewer staff working in the NHS than previous projections said were needed, with far more providing care closer to home and fewer working in hospitals.

Key reforms include a greatly enhanced NHS app to give patients more control over their care and more data at their fingertips, new neighbourhood health centres open six days a week, and at least 12 hours a day, and new laws on food and alcohol to prevent ill health.

Sir Keir said: “It’s all down to the foundation we laid this year, all down to the path of renewal that we chose, the decisions made by the Chancellor, by Rachel Reeves, which mean we can invest record amounts in the NHS.

“Already [more than] 6,000 mental health workers [have been] recruited, 1,700 GPs, 170 community diagnostic centres – really important – already open. New surgical hubs, new mental health units, new ambulance sites. Record investment right across the system.”

Here is how the ten year plan breaks down

2025–2026

• New workforce model: Begin implementation of a new NHS workforce model based on capability,
• Clinical trials: Reduce clinical trial set-up times to 150 days by March 2026,
• Surgical innovation: Expand adoption of robotic surgery in line with NICE guidance, aiming for one in eight operations to use surgical robots by 2035,
• NHS leadership model: Launch a new leadership and culture model focused on accountability and team-based care,
• Digital front door: Begin upgrades to the NHS App, laying groundwork for a unified digital entry point to the NHS,
• League tables: Start publishing simple, comparable provider performance tables from summer 2025.

2026–2027

• New GP contracts: Begin rollout of two new GP contracts, one place-based and one list-based, to encourage wider collaboration and patient access,
• Care plans: Ensure 95 per cent of people with complex needs have an agreed care plan in place by 2027,
• Prevention shift: Begin integrated delivery of public health services with Integrated Care Boards prioritising prevention and early intervention,
• NHS App functions: Expand functionality of the NHS App for greater self-management of care.

2027–2028

• NHS App transformation: Transform the NHS App into a comprehensive digital front door to the NHS by 2028,
• Urgent care navigation: Enable booking into appropriate urgent care settings (e.g., via 111 or the NHS App) before physical attendance,
• Personal health budgets: Continue scaling personal health budgets with a focus on supporting independence and choice.

2028–2031

• Productivity improvements: Deliver at least 2 per cent productivity gains year-on-year for three consecutive years,
• Workforce training: Expand medical specialty training and nursing apprenticeships focused on system needs and future demands,
• AI-enabled workforce: Redesign education and training curricula to embed AI and digital literacy throughout the NHS,
• Financial sustainability: Shift the majority of providers into financial surplus by 2030, supported by robust five-year planning

2029–2030

• Personal health budgets: Aim to reach one million individuals benefiting from a personal health budget by 2030,
• Outcomes-focused funding: Advance new payment models, including year-of-care payments, focused on patient outcomes

2030–2035

• Wearable technology: Make wearable health technologies a standard part of chronic disease and recovery pathways by 2035,
• Outpatient reform: Radically redesign or phase out traditional hospital outpatient models by 2035,
• Digital hospitals: Ensure all hospitals are fully AI-enabled and digital-first by the end of the plan,
• Integrated governance: Align Integrated Care Boards more closely with local democratic structures, where feasible,
• Genomics and prevention: Deliver a population-wide genomics service focused on prevention, with access for all communities by 2035.

Ongoing throughout the plan

• Transparency and accountability: Expand access to clear public data on NHS performance and variation,
• Leadership and autonomy: Embed earned autonomy across the system to encourage high performance and local decision-making,
• Financial discipline: All NHS organisations to develop and maintain sustainable five-year financial plans,
• Workforce shift: Implement a long-term transition away from heavy reliance on international recruitment, in line with expanded domestic training,
• Digitisation of care: Deliver services "digital by default," while maintaining inclusive access for all patient groups.

Special Initiatives

• Tobacco and Vapes Bill: Enact legislation to ensure no child turning 15 in 2025 or younger can ever legally be sold tobacco,
• Genomic research: Support the sequencing of newborn genomes and adult cohorts to advance personalised medicine,
• Cancer prevention: Expand national screening and prevention efforts, contributing toward long-term goals like cervical cancer elimination,
• Mental health infrastructure: Invest in modernising urgent and emergency mental health care provision.