NHS App upgrade and single patient record coming in new £15 billion plan
Key Points
- Government published 10 Year Capital Plan for NHS on Wednesday (8 July)
- Health capital budget rises to £15 billion in 2029/30
- NHS App upgrade and Single Patient Record confirmed
- £650 million committed to genomics over five years
- £6.75 billion allocated to hospital repairs over nine years
The government will overhaul the NHS App, introduce a Single Patient Record and replace outdated IT systems across the health service under a new 10-year plan backed by a health capital budget rising to £15 billion in 2029/30.
The plan, published on Wednesday (8 July), sets out how the government will rebuild, renew and modernise the NHS, replacing years of short-term, stop-start investment with a long-term funding approach.
On the technology front, the plan commits to improving the NHS App and introducing a Single Patient Record, so patients no longer have to repeat the same information to different parts of the health service. It also funds the replacement of ageing systems that keep staff tied up in paperwork rather than treating patients.
The technology investment extends to research and national security capabilities. The plan includes £650 million for genomics over the next five years, alongside investment in cyber resilience, biosecurity and the new National Biosecurity Centre, aimed at protecting the country against future health and security threats.
Minister of State for Health Karin Smyth said the plan would help patients get faster appointments, better facilities, modern technology and more care closer to home. She added that too many NHS buildings were crumbling and outdated, and that the government was taking long-term decisions to rebuild the health service.
Building failures including leaking roofs, broken heating systems and electrical faults, have caused more than 4,100 disruptions to patient care last year, including cancelled appointments and delayed treatment.
To tackle the maintenance backlog, the government is investing at least £6.75 billion over the next nine years to repair hospitals and replace unsafe buildings. A £2 billion programme will remove Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) from affected hospitals.
The plan also confirms 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres, bringing GPs, diagnostic tests and community services under one roof. Government investment has already funded almost 800 GP surgery upgrades across England, creating space for an estimated 9 million extra appointments, with a further £200 million to help more surgeries expand and modernise.
Streamlining tech
Approval processes for NHS building and technology projects are being streamlined.
Projects worth up to £300 million will now be approved by the Department of Health and Social Care and the NHS rather than requiring repeated Treasury sign-off, with only projects above £1 billion, or those with significant scope changes, returning to the Treasury.
Ownership of more NHS buildings and land will transfer from NHS Property Services to local NHS organisations.
The plan also opens unused NHS land for affordable homes for healthcare workers, allowing nurses, porters and healthcare assistants to rent close to the hospitals where they work in areas where housing costs are highest.
The investment builds on an extra £26 billion in wider NHS funding. Waiting lists have fallen by over 400,000 since July 2024, and patient satisfaction with GP access has risen to 76%.
