The Government has published its 10 Year Health Plan for England, outlining how it will transform the NHS through three strategic shifts: hospital to community, analogue to digital and sickness to prevention.
Patients will be able to access a range of healthcare services and advice at the touch of a button, as the Government’s Plan for Change drives forward fundamental reform to the NHS to make it easier and fairer for everyone to access the care they need.
Launching the 10 Year Health Plan on Thursday 3 July – the Government’s roadmap to rebuilding the health service to make it fit for the future – Prime Minister Keir Starmer set out how the App will act as a digital front door to the health service, overhauling how people get advice, manage appointments and interact with services to make their healthcare more convenient and more personalised.
For the first time, patients will be able to book, move and cancel all their appointments on the App – ending the 8am scramble for a GP – and the App will use artificial intelligence to provide instant advice for patients who need non-urgent care, available 24/7.
Through the plan, patients will have quicker, better access to the right care. They will be able to self-refer on the App to mental health talking therapies, musculoskeletal services, podiatry, and audiology – freeing up GPs and new Neighbourhood Health Services to focus on providing direct care while dramatically slashing waiting lists for these services – delivering on the government’s Plan for Change promise to cut waiting lists.
Accessing healthcare will be quicker than ever thanks to expanded features on the app. People will be able to manage their medicines and book vaccines from their phone, connect with a clinician for a remote consultation, and even leave a question for a specialist to answer without making an appointment. Patients simply being able to book an appointment digitally rather than today’s convoluted process will save the NHS £200 million over three years.
For parents, the new App will deliver a 21st century alternative to the ‘red book’, ensuring that their children’s medical records are available to them in their pocket, so they do not have to carry their red books to every appointment. It will also provide advice and support throughout childhood, offering guidance on weaning and healthy habits. Over time, it will record feeding times, monitor sleep, and use AI analytics to understand the best way to care for children when they are unwell.
The changes will build on the progress Government has already made to increase the number of hospitals that allow patients to view appointment information on the app. Almost 12 million fewer paper letters have been sent by hospitals since July 2024. Forecasts for this year show the use of in-app notifications for planned care will prevent the need for 15.7 million SMS messages.
Responding to the 10 Year Health Plan, Richard Stubbs, Chair of the Health Innovation Network said: “It is right that the 10 Year Health Plan will establish the digital and data foundations of the NHS to realise the potential of health innovation in empowering patients, better supporting the NHS workforce and driving economic growth in every community.
“The Health Innovation Network welcomes the focus on AI, expansion of the NHS App and the commitment to a single patient record, all of which will involve innovation partnerships to deliver change to local services, that will have a national impact.
“As the 10 Year Health Plan recognises, the 15 health innovation networks across England “do important work” and we look ahead to operationalising these plans and working with our partners to find, test and implement at scale innovations that improve patient outcomes, increase NHS productivity and reduce waiting lists, while delivering economic growth.
“If we get this right we will not only greatly increase outcomes and satisfaction for our patients, but we will also boost our essential life sciences sector and, as our Defining the Size of the Health Innovation Prize report found, add up to £278 billion a year to the UK economy.”
Natasha Swinscoe, Chief Executive of Health Innovation West of England, added: “It’s been good to finally see the detail in the government’s 10 Year Health Plan today, with lots in here aligned with the priorities for the health innovation networks.
“In the coming months and years, we look forward to playing our part in helping to realise these shared ambitions and we will continue to act as crucial connectors and facilitators, collaborating with diverse partners and bridging the gap between researchers, industry and NHS partners, to support the adoption and spread of proven innovations and transform to new ways of working.”
Read the full 10 Year Health Plan here.
Posted on July 7, 2025
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