NHS Overhauls Technology Strategy in 10 Year Health plan
The National Health Service (NHS) has set out its 10 Year Health Plan for England with a message that pulls no punches. The plan insists that the country's health system is no longer fit for purpose and needs a complete rethink.
At the centre of this shake-up is technology. From how care is delivered to how equipment is bought, the NHS is turning to innovation to solve its biggest challenges.
The plan emerges in response to Lord Ara Darzi’s 2024 investigation, which found the NHS in a “critical condition”. Delays in GP appointments, longer hospital waits, demoralised staff and stagnating cancer research are laid out as symptoms of a failing system.
“This is a time for radical change – major surgery, not sticking plasters,” says Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in the report. “The measures in this plan are radical and urgent. It won’t be easy, but the prize will be worth it.”
Replacing the analogue NHS with digital-first care
The core of the NHS transformation rests on three shifts: taking care out of hospitals and into communities, replacing analogue infrastructure with digital systems, and focusing on prevention rather than cure. The ambition is not modest. The NHS aims to become “the most AI-enabled health system in the world,” drawing on technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, genomics and wearables.
Underpinning this ambition is a redesigned workforce strategy and a new operating model. NHS staff will be aligned with these reforms and trained accordingly. Over the next three years, education and training curricula will be overhauled to prepare the workforce for the technological shift.
At the heart of this effort is the NHS app. Positioned as a “doctor in their pocket” for patients, the app is intended to streamline care access and remove admin burdens from staff. It’s one piece of a broader digital strategy that will also see hospitals fully AI-enabled by the end of the decade.
The report identifies the NHS’s unique strengths in data, procurement power and universal access. These will be used to develop “the most digitally-accessible health system in the world”. AI will be embedded into clinical pathways, supporting doctors and nurses in decision making and freeing time for direct patient care.
Modernising procurement to back innovation
If the NHS wants a tech-first future, its procurement process needs to catch up. The plan notes that the NHS has historically spent money on “yesterday’s solutions to today’s problems”. By the time many new systems are rolled out, they’re already out of date. The new strategy is to invest in long-term value rather than short-term savings.
From early next year, the NHS will introduce national value-based procurement guidelines. These will prioritise technologies that improve productivity and outcomes, and centralise purchasing of such tools to ensure consistent delivery across the country. A new internal marketplace will distribute devices and digital tools purchased at the national level.
A major part of this update is the expansion of NICE’s technology appraisal system. Currently focused on medicines, it will now cover select medical devices, diagnostics and digital products. This marks the first national system designed to fund and scale high-impact health technologies beyond pharmaceuticals.
The plan uses a stark analogy: past procurement habits are like “investing in fixed telephone lines in a world dominated by mobile phones”. Health leaders hope the change will support the UK’s HealthTech and MedTech sectors by removing market-entry barriers and speeding up adoption. The reforms also aim to address what officials call “significant unwarranted variation” in uptake across NHS trusts.
One practical example is the planned use of digital behavioural therapy for adolescents to help reduce waiting times for Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services. The hope is that these tools will not only improve care but also ease pressure on stretched staff and budgets.
Net-zero ambitions and new funding models
The NHS’ environmental plans sit alongside its digital ambitions. It remains committed to achieving net-zero for direct emissions by 2040 and those it can influence by 2045.
Through its partnership with Great British Energy, solar panels will be installed on public sector buildings. NHS organisations are also expected to minimise environmental impact and prepare for climate risks under the Health and Care Act 2022.
The funding model for this green infrastructure is also changing. The NHS will work with the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority to explore private financing options. That includes using pension fund capital to fund assets like key worker housing and car parks.
Officials are also considering Public-Private Partnerships to support decarbonisation, especially for renewable energy installations across NHS estates.
These moves aim to blend sustainability with financial resilience, tapping into private sector expertise while reducing reliance on traditional public funding.
In terms of broader strategy, the NHS says it will use five “big bets”—AI, data, robotics, wearables and genomics—to personalise care and improve productivity across the system.
“Our aim is to be in the driving seat of the biggest industrial revolution since the 19th century as we harness technology to create a new model of care in the NHS." says the report.
