Fit for the Future: The 10 Year Health Plan for England (2025)
Department of Health and Social Care
Published July 2025.
Summary
The government's long-term plan for the NHS in England is organised around three 'shifts'. The first is from hospital to community: moving care closer to home through neighbourhood health services that bring GPs, nurses, pharmacists, mental health and social care together, so fewer people end up in hospital. The second is from analogue to digital: expanding the NHS App as a front door for booking, records and advice, and using technology — including AI — to reduce administrative burden and support clinicians. The third is from sickness to prevention: tackling the causes of ill health, such as obesity, smoking and poor diets, and reducing inequalities. The plan also covers workforce, productivity and how the service will be run. Delivery depends on funding, staffing and the wider reorganisation of NHS bodies, so its impact is still to be seen.
Why it matters at interview
It frames most current NHS debates. Knowing the three shifts lets you place any hot topic — AI, prevention, GP access — in context.
Key takeaways
- Three shifts: hospital → community, analogue → digital, sickness → prevention.
- Neighbourhood health services are central to the community shift.
- The NHS App is intended to become the main digital front door.
- Delivery depends on workforce, funding and reorganisation.
How to use it
When asked about the biggest challenge or future of the NHS, anchor your answer in one of the three shifts and weigh its feasibility.
Questions it helps with
- What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the NHS at the moment?
- What are health inequalities, and what can doctors do about them?
- Should the government tax unhealthy food to tackle obesity?
- Artificial intelligence is increasingly used in healthcare. Will AI replace doctors?
- If you were Health Secretary for a day, what one change would you make to the NHS?