It’s been a tough stretch for Sir Keir Starmer.
Faced with mounting political pressure, welfare policy U-turns, and even tears in Parliament, the Labour leader has decided it’s time to redirect the national conversation.
And he’s doing it with one of the biggest announcements of his leadership so far—a sweeping 10-year plan to reshape the NHS from the ground up.
A New Era for the NHS: What’s Changing?
Standing at a London health centre on Thursday, Starmer unveiled what he called a “seismic shift” in how care is delivered in Britain.
The core idea? Move away from hospitals as the default care setting and bring health services into local neighbourhoods instead.
Rather than patients clogging up A&E or chasing hospital appointments for non-emergency needs, the new plan proposes local health hubs staffed with post-op care teams, nurses, mental health specialists, and more.
These centres would be open 12 hours a day, six days a week—and operate during evenings and weekends—to make care more accessible and reduce the strain on hospitals.
Bringing Healthcare Closer to Home
The vision is to build what Starmer calls a “neighbourhood health service.”
That means rolling out health centres across the country, where people can access everything from diagnostic tests to mental health care without needing to travel far or wait for hospital slots.
And it’s not just traditional healthcare.
These hubs would also offer services like debt counseling, employment support, smoking cessation help, and even obesity programs—because, as Starmer argues, your finances, mental state, and lifestyle choices all affect your overall health.
Learning from Past Promises—and Missteps
Of course, bold NHS promises are nothing new.
Former governments have talked about seven-day services and modernised health centres too—most notably former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and ex-PM Gordon Brown.
But those ideas often hit walls, particularly from union resistance or impractical rollouts.
Starmer’s pitch, while ambitious, does scale back slightly from those earlier promises.
He’s not claiming hospitals will be open 24/7, but he is insisting this neighbourhood-focused model is realistic, sustainable, and rooted in fairness.
A Personal Appeal to Fairness and National Pride
Starmer didn’t just present stats and strategies—he appealed to values.
He reminded the nation that for 77 years, the NHS has been a symbol of British pride and fairness: “Everyone paying in, working hard, doing the right thing, secure in the knowledge the NHS will be there.”
He wants this new plan to be the moment history looks back on as when those values were protected—and updated—for the next generation.
From Analogue to Digital, Hospital to Home
The 10-year roadmap includes a move toward digitised care, focusing more on prevention than reaction.
Rather than waiting for people to get sick and show up at hospitals, the idea is to intervene earlier and treat people within their communities.
By 2035, Starmer’s government wants most outpatient services—such as cardiology, respiratory care, eye treatments, and mental health support—to happen outside hospitals entirely.
Community Outreach Will Play a Big Role
To make this work, the government is also looking at proactive outreach.
Think of teams going door-to-door in vulnerable communities, providing early check-ins and support before people hit crisis points.
This, they argue, could dramatically reduce the burden on overworked GPs and overcrowded emergency rooms.
Rachel Reeves: It’s Good for the NHS and the Economy
Chancellor Rachel Reeves, making her first public remarks since her emotional moment in Parliament earlier this week, doubled down on the message.
“We’re spending money on what matters to the public,” she said.
“And this investment in the NHS is also good for our nation’s finances.”
Reeves emphasized that recent budget moves laid the groundwork for this health transformation, positioning Labour as the party that’s fixing both healthcare and the economy.
NHS Staff and the Public Are Ready for Change
Health Secretary Wes Streeting echoed this sentiment, insisting that NHS staff aren’t resistant to change—they’re eager for it.
“They’re crying out for reform,” he said, noting that the public is just as desperate for a system that actually works for them.
He also called out critics on the political right, accusing them of using NHS struggles as an excuse to push for dismantling universal healthcare.
“They say it worked in the 20th century, but not in the 21st. This Labour Government rejects that pessimism.”
So, What Comes Next?
With this 10-year NHS plan now on the table, the real test lies in delivery.
Starmer is trying to stabilise his leadership after a rocky spell—and a successful health reform rollout could be just what he needs to reassert control and build public trust.
Now, all eyes are on how—and how fast—these ideas become reality.