Labour’s 10-Year NHS Plan
Labour’s new 10-year plan for the NHS centres on three core shifts: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. The strategy follows the July 2024 Darzi Review, which warned that “the National Health Service is in serious trouble.”
From Sickness to Prevention
Labour’s emphasis on preventative health echoes one of Darzi’s key conclusions: that “the state of the NHS is not due entirely to what has happened within the health service. The health of the nation has deteriorated and that impacts its performance.”
One policy under this shift is the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which will ban the sale of tobacco to anyone born in or after 2008. It also restricts advertising and sponsorship of vaping and nicotine products, in line with recommendations to quell the rise in underage vaping and smoking.
A more contentious prevention measure is Labour’s plan to scale up access to weight-loss medications, described by Health Secretary Wes Streeting as “harnessing recent breakthroughs.” Public response has been mixed, in part due to historic mistrust of diet pills and concerns around injectable treatments. A January 2024 report by Johns Hopkins University details both the benefits and risks of drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy.
From Hospital to Community
The second major change seeks to move care away from hospitals and into neighbourhoods. Labour has pledged to establish a health centre in every community, beginning in areas with the lowest healthy life expectancy. These “one-stop shops” aim to coordinate multidisciplinary teams and make healthcare more accessible.
This policy directly responds to a key point in the Darzi Review, which criticises spending bias toward hospitals at the expense of community services. “Single-year budgets necessarily reinforce the status quo,” the report said, “and when things go wrong the kneejerk response from ministers has been to throw more money at hospitals.”
However, the Royal College of Nursing has raised concerns about workforce capacity. Professor Nicola Ranger, the RCN’s chief executive, said: “A neighbourhood health service is a bold vision and it needs nursing staff in the driving seat. The Prime Minister must back up his plan with a clear one to turn around the shortage of nurses in all local communities.”
While Labour’s plan promises to “increase the number of nurse consultants, particularly in neighbourhood settings,” the government has not yet released concrete details on how staffing targets will be achieved.
From Analogue to Digital
The final pillar of the plan is the shift from analogue to digital, particularly through a reforming of the NHS app. The app will introduce digital triage for non-urgent cases, streamline access to health records, and manage appointments and prescriptions more efficiently.
Concerns have been raised about the risk of excluding older populations who may struggle with digital platforms. However, Labour states that the goal is to “free up physical access for those with the most complex needs,” suggesting a hybrid model that protects vulnerable patients.
Trust and Political Longevity
While the plan responds to longstanding critiques of NHS structure and resourcing, its implementation depends on political continuity and public trust. Questions remain about Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s credibility following his welfare U-turn, as noted in The Independent.
With the plan is designed to span a decade, Labour must deliver early signs of progress to secure long-term public and political backing. A change in government before the plan matures could jeopardise its full rollout.
Works Cited:
Darzi, A. Independent Investigation of the National Health Service in England. Department of Health and Social Care, July 2024.
HM Government. Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan for England – Executive Summary. July 2025.
Buchler, Emily Gaines. “The Pros, Cons, and Unknowns of Popular Weight‑Loss Drugs.” Johns Hopkins Hub, 11 Jan. 2024. Link
Royal College of Nursing. “Neighbourhood Health Service Needs Plan to Address Community Nursing Shortages.” RCN, 27 June 2024. Link
The Independent. “Starmer Suffers Dip in Personal Approval as Welfare Row Led to Labour Lagging in Polls.” The Independent, May 2024. Link
