Government announces 10-year NHS capital plan

A 10-year capital plan for the NHS has been announced by the Government.

Karin Smyth (c) UK Parliament

Karin Smyth (c) UK Parliament

The plan includes £6.75bn over the next nine years to repair hospitals and £2bn to remove RAAC.

Minister of state for health Karin Smyth said: ‘Too many NHS buildings are crumbling and outdated. This Government is taking the long-term decisions needed to rebuild the health service.'

The capital budget for health will rise to £15bn in 2029/30 and includes £200m to help more GP surgeries expand and modernise. It also sets out how unused NHS land can be turned into affordable homes for healthcare workers.

This plan confirms the Government will deliver 250 neighbourhood health centres and  includes improving the NHS App, introducing a Single Patient Record and replacing outdated systems.  

Projects worth up to £300m will be approved by the Department of Health and Social Care and the NHS without waiting for Treasury sign off.

Projects will only need to return to the Treasury if costs rise above £1bn or their scope changes significantly.   

Ownership of more NHS buildings and land will be handed from NHS Property Services to local NHS organisations.

The plan also includes a £650m investment in genomics over the next five years.

Reaction

Professor Frank Smith, vice president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: ‘While the funding underpinning this plan was set out in the Spending Review, it is helpful to see a clearer roadmap for how the Government intends to strengthen NHS infrastructure over the coming decade. The true test of this plan will be whether the investment available will be enough to address the NHS maintenance backlog, which stands at £15.9bn, and provide the theatres, equipment and technology needed to expand NHS capacity.'

Tim Gardner, deputy director of policy at The Health Foundation, said: ‘The Government must ensure that capital funding is allocated transparently and targeted where need is greatest. That means prioritising safety-critical repairs, modernising digital infrastructure, investing beyond hospitals into primary and community care and the workforce needed to deliver transformed services, and ensuring every pound delivers better value for patients and the public.'

Siva Anandaciva, director of policy, events and partnerships at The King's Fund, said that ‘while this plan may provide a blueprint for the future, it remains unclear whether there is enough investment to turn the ambitions on paper into bricks-and-mortar improvements'.

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