The federal government’s 10 yr well being plan for the NHS consists of a number of new polices round digital and know-how, such because the deliberate roll out of My Well being, a brand new device for the NHS App that features real-time knowledge from wearables, biometric sensors or sensible units.
The extremely anticipated plan was revealed on 3 July 2025, setting out an ambition for the NHS to be ‘digital by default’.
“Trendy know-how has given us extra energy over our on a regular basis lives. However that very same scale of change has but to come back to the NHS. This Plan will take the NHS from the 20th century technological laggard it’s at present, to the 21st century chief it has the potential to be,” the plan states.
Turning the NHS App right into a ‘world-leading device for affected person alternative’
The NHS App leads the best way within the plan to shift the NHS from analogue to digital, stating that by 2028, will probably be “a full entrance door to all the NHS” the place sufferers could have “a physician of their pocket”.
The federal government confirms it can add performance to the app in each subsequent yr of the plan, with already introduced round AI-driven psychological well being assist and an AI device that provides sufferers direct entry to trusted well being data.
The My Well being device will hook up with related NHS knowledge, whether or not that’s the outcomes of current checks at residence or in a neighbourhood well being centre.
Wearables will have the ability to feed very important knowledge into the app comparable to step rely, coronary heart fee and sleep high quality, to supply tailor-made, private well being recommendation.
Julian David, chief government at techUK, mentioned: “We welcome at present’s announcement as a landmark second within the digital transformation of the NHS.
“The improved NHS App marks a daring step ahead in placing residents on the centre of their care, empowering sufferers with the identical ease, accessibility and management we anticipate from trendy digital companies.
“Ongoing and significant engagement with the tech sector will likely be important to delivering this transformation at scale. techUK will proceed to work with authorities, NHS our bodies and our members to make sure this transformation is inclusive, safe and future-ready.”
One other new device to be added is My NHS GP, which is able to “present a single, trusted supply of immediate recommendation for sufferers who want non-urgent care, obtainable 24/7”.
It should use AI algorithms to take a affected person’s descriptions of their worries or signs, ask the suitable follow-up questions and supply personalised steerage.
One new function not beforehand introduced is My Kids, a digitised ‘pink e book’ the place dad and mom can get recommendation and assist for folks all through childhood.
Dame Rachel de Souza, kids’s commissioner, mentioned: “I’ve lengthy known as for a kid’s ‘pink e book’ to be digitised, so this can be a actually welcome transfer.
“Taken with plans at present going by means of Parliament to develop a novel childhood identifier, will vastly enhance how we defend and look after probably the most weak kids, with fewer at risk of falling by means of gaps in companies.”
Single Affected person Document (SPR) to be rolled out in maternity care first
It’s no shock that the SPR is a key a part of the ten yr plan, with the federal government first saying plans to launch it again in October 2024.
The SPR “will convey collectively all a affected person’s medical data into one place”, working as “a affected person passport” guaranteeing sufferers get care regardless of the place they’re within the NHS.
Digital Well being Information completely revealed in February 2025 that the SPR will likely be made obtainable to suppliers, sufferers, policymakers and researchers by default, which is now confirmed within the 10 yr plan.
It states that topic to parliamentary time, the ambition is that from 2028 sufferers will have the ability to view the SPR on the NHS App. Will probably be rolled out in maternity care first.
“We all know from each proof and our engagement that experiences of maternity care will not be adequate, and that moms’ preferences are regularly ignored.
“The SPR will guarantee maternity groups have all 48 the knowledge they want about earlier consultations, medical historical past and said preferences, serving to them present genuinely high-quality, personalised care,” the plan explains.
Embracing ambient AI know-how
The plan confirms that ambient AI know-how is already being trialled, with interim outcomes displaying “a major lower in admin, releasing up time for affected person care”.
The plan says that with some GP practices already utilizing these applied sciences, “the issue just isn’t considered one of adoption however of scale”.
To speed up this, in 2026 and 2027 the federal government says it can “undertake a framework procurement course of that may be accessed by all NHS organisations and supply assist to GPs and trusts, to allow them to undertake this know-how safely”.
AI scribes will “liberate workers from their present burden of forms and administration”, the plan says.
A totally digitally enabled Neighbourhood Well being Service
The plan lays out how a neighbourhood well being service will convey care into native communities, convene professionals into patient-centred groups, finish fragmentation and abolish the NHS default of ‘one dimension suits all’ care.
The federal government confirms it can absolutely digitally allow the service. By 2035, it can have additional advanced to completely incorporate genomic knowledge, digital instruments and know-how.
The main focus right here is on prevention, highlighting that care ought to occur “as regionally as it may well: digitally by default, in a affected person’s residence, if doable, in a neighbourhood’s well being centre when wanted, in a hospital if mandatory”.
Worth-based procurement steerage for digital units and merchandise
The ten yr plan additionally focuses on the ambition to streamline procurement and adoption of revolutionary know-how and put money into analysis and growth infrastructure.
The federal government has already revealed plans to introduce an ‘innovator passport’ to permit know-how that has been robustly assessed by one NHS organisation to be simply rolled out to others, nevertheless value-based procurement steerage for units and digital merchandise may also be launched.
