Unpacking the 10-year Plan: What’s the Crack with the Digital Shift?

The government’s Spending Review revealed that £10 billion had been pledged to bring the NHS into the digital age. A key enabler of this will be universal access to the best, evidence-based health apps and digital tools – all free at the point of need. This commitment extends beyond traditional clinical settings, with the ambition for the NHS to operate as a fully digitally enabled service, both online and offline, 24 hours a day.

Digital access will become the norm, not the exception. People in generally good health will be able to manage their care primarily through digital channels like the NHS app and various NICE-approved apps via the “Health Store”.  This will free up in-person services for those with complex or urgent needs.

At the centre of this digital ecosystem is the Single Patient Record (SPR) – a secure, comprehensive, and real-time summary of every individual’s health data. Unlike the fragmented systems of the past, the SPR will allow clinicians across settings to access the information they need, when they need it, and give patients more control over their own care journey.

In the same way Access Intelligent Care Platform (AICP) joins up data from primary, secondary, social, and voluntary sector services to give clinicians and staff shared visibility, the new SPR will essentially act as a patient’s digital passport, integrating information from these areas to support safer, more coordinated care across the care continuum.

Patients will be able to view their record directly via the NHS App, contribute data from external clinically validated wearables, and avoid the frustration of repeating their medical history at every appointment. Rollout will begin with maternity care, where gaps in data sharing have historically undermined personalised, high-quality care. Legislation will be introduced to make access to health records a right, not a privilege.

By 2028, the NHS App will be transformed into the front door to the entire NHS. With a full suite of features including My NHS GP, My Choices, My Care, My Medicines, and My Consult, the App will enable patients to:

• Access tailored health advice instantly
• Book and manage appointments
• Self-refer to services like mental health
• Manage medication, track test results, and join clinical trials
• Communicate with care teams and review care plans

These features are being developed with a focus on inclusion, accessibility, and co-design. The goal is not just digital access, but meaningful engagement for all – including those traditionally excluded or underserved by digital health services.

The shift to digital is as much about the staff as it is about the citizens on the receiving end of care.  Liberating staff from the burden of bureaucracy will be one such major target and achieved through things like ambient voice technology (AVT); an AI-powered tool which records patient interactions and writes up notes in real-time. Parts of the NHS have already begun trialling this technology, with one pilot showing a 51.7% reduction in admin time.

The plan also sets a national ambition for every NHS trust to become AI-enabled over the next decade. These changes are projected to boost productivity by 2% each year and free up enough clinical admin time to be equivalent to adding 2,000 more GPs to the workforce.

Alongside this, NHS digital procurement routes will be streamlined to fast-track access to trusted technologies and reduce lengthy buying processes, along with plans to introduce single sign-on across systems and digitise community-based staff workflows. These changes are aimed at helping restore joy to the job for many nurses and community care workers, while reducing burnout and freeing up clinicians’ time so they can focus on delivering hands-on care.

The adoption of robotic surgeries will also expand from 2026, in line with NICE guidelines. While the plan doesn’t yet detail which procedures this will apply to, it signals a steady move toward modernising surgical care.

The 10-Year Plan includes specific design features to make the digital NHS accessible for everyone – from British Sign Language and screen reader compatibility to translation tools and assisted setup in local libraries.

The plan also outlines a broader ambition to tackle digital exclusion head-on, especially for groups who have traditionally struggled to access or benefit from online health services. This includes older people, those in deprived areas, people with disabilities, and individuals without regular internet access or digital confidence.

To address this, the government has committed to developing local support schemes to help people navigate NHS digital tools and will work closely with voluntary and community organisations to reach underserved groups.

Digital inclusion will be a shared priority across the NHS and government, with patients and carers actively involved in the co-creation of new features. The aim is to ensure that digital tools empower the most excluded, rather than widen existing inequalities as the NHS goes digital.

From streaming services to online banking, our daily lives have changed beyond recognition in the past decade. Now, the NHS is catching up – with a digital-first approach designed to offer people more choice, an improved sense of safety, and empowerment for both patients and care providers.

But while technology’s role will continue to evolve, the plan clearly outlines that this shift won’t mean losing the human touch. In-person care will remain vital, especially for those with complex needs. However, reducing friction, digitising routine interactions, and unlocking new data insights will enable the NHS to focus its resources where they matter most.

Now all we need is to know when these transformations will be delivered. HSJ has released a timetable  for when it expects the 10-year Plan goals are likely to be achieved, but the official delivery strategy is, according to NHS England CEO, Jim Mackey, expected to be developed by summer and published before winter.

Until then, the wait continues. But with the vision now clear and momentum building, there’s every reason to believe what comes next will have made it all worth it.

Join us next as we explore the second major shift in the 10-Year Plan: how the NHS and government aim to move care out of hospitals and into the community.