Next, the Guardian mentions that one of the Labour government’s first acts was to put a pause on the previous Conservative government’s plans to build 40 new hospitals by 2030.

Starmer is asked whether this is the “damaging short-term thinking” the report talks about.

He is also questioned whether he is committed to building the hospitals.

The PM explains that the pause is to review the plan, rather than not building them. He says that the government is still committed to building the hospitals with a more realistic plan.

For context: The pledge to build and fund 40 new hospitals over 10 years was in Boris Johnson's 2019 Conservative election manifesto. There's been there ongoing controversy about exactly what counts as a "new hospital".

And that's the end of the Q&A - stay with us for analysis.

The Sun asks how Starmer can be expected to stand up to resistance to reforms from NHS unions.

Starmer says he's reformed places before, and lists off a number of examples from his time in the Crown Prosecution Service, as well as his work as Labour Party leader to change the party itself.

"If there's one common theme in what I've done for a living, it's coming and and bringing about change", he says.

Since the government's plan is a 10-year one, does that mean people will still sit waiting in A&Es for another decade, a journalist from the Mirror asks.

When will the public start to see a difference, they push.

Starmer says A&E is an example of where more technology is needed. People are usually waiting a very long time for test results because the technology isn't quick enough, he says,

Some things can be changed more quickly, he says. While the plan is for 10 years, we've got to show change along the way, he adds.

Next, the PM is asked how the government will reform social care.

Starmer says the country needs a "national care service" and that's his ambition.

He says he wants it to come about with cross-party support and involving as many people as possible.

But it starts with the staff, he says, and promises a fair pay agreement for social care staff.

Image source, Reuters

How will the NHS be improved in the short term, a journalist from Sky News asks.

Starmer says change is going to take a long time.

He adds he doesn’t want to do "sticking plaster politics" with little fixes here and there or put off big reform because it's "too hard".

What's new and different about these reform ideas, the BBC’s health editor Hugh Pym asks the prime minister.

Starmer says the government is "clear-eyed" about its 10-year plan, rather than a short-term one.

He says he wants future generations to look back proudly at what the Labour government has done for them.

Image source, Reuters

Starmer says reforming the NHS won't be easy or quick - and will take the work of more than one Parliament.

But it can be done, he says, referencing changes under former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

With that, Starmer wraps up his speech and is now taking questions from the media.

A reminder, you can also follow along by pressing watch live above.

The third shift in the NHS, Starmer says, will be a move from sickness to prevention.

He says that planning for 10 years means the government can make long-term investments in new technologies that will catch and prevent problems earlier, like children’s mental health and children's dentistry.

It's worth pointing out that the government has been elected for a five-year term, so any 10-year plan relies on the next government continuing the same strategy.

The second of the three shifts he outlines is from hospitals to community services.

The national health care system will shift to a neighbourhood one, he says, including improving access to GPs, "bringing back the family doctor" and offering digital consultations.

He says this will deal with problems earlier, before people are sick from work and have to go to hospital.

Starmer says the government's 10-year plan for the NHS, expected in the coming months, will be "so different from anything that has gone before", and will be framed around three big shifts.

The first is moving from an analogue to a digital NHS - we've got to use technology to empower patients and give them control over their healthcare, he says.

"Reform or die," Starmer tells the room, as he goes on to explain what reform doesn't mean.

Firstly, he says, it does not mean abandoning the founding principle of public service free at the point of use: "When you fall ill, you should never have to worry about the bill."

Starmer clarifies that the problem isn’t the NHS model itself. “It’s just not taking advantage of the opportunities in front of it, and that’s what we need to change.”

Secondly, reform does not mean just putting more money in, he says, adding: “We have to fix the plumbing before turning on the taps. No more money without reform."

Thirdly, he emphasises that reform doesn’t mean fixing everything from Whitehall. Instead, he believes we should draw on the talent of NHS staff.

Image source, PA Media

The prime minister highlights troubling findings for children’s health outcomes, including children getting fewer vaccinations and higher obesity in deprived areas.

These are the result of wider social injustices, he claims.

But he says the NHS “may be broken, but it’s not beaten”.

He references Lord Darzi's report, which says although the health system is in critical condition, its "vital signs" are strong.

"We are becoming a sicker society," he says, that 2.8 million people are "economically inactive" due to ill health.

Getting people back to health and work would reduce costs on the NHS and drive growth, he says.

The prime minister says the previous government inflicted the most austere decade since the NHS was founded, describing the 2010s as a "lost decade" for the health service.

Buildings are crumbling, and mental health patients are in "Victorian-era cells infested with vermin", he says.

Starmer also addresses the lengthy waits for urgent treatment, which contribute to high cancer death rates. Many people with mental health issues wait over a year for care, he continues.

Starmer emphasises that the report shows the NHS's fragile state isn't solely due to the pandemic - the NHS was already struggling before it began, he tells the audience.

Image source, PA Media

Starmer highlights the long waiting times in A&E, noting that more than 100,000 infants waited over six hours last year.

Nearly a tenth of all patients wait 12 hours or more, leading to thousands of avoidable deaths, he says.

“It’s devastating, heart-breaking, infuriating.”

Keir Starmer says Lord Darzi’s report is a "raw and honest assessment" of the NHS.

The starting point couldn't be further from the government's goals in rebuilding the NHS, he adds, and points out that public satisfaction is falling.

He blames the previous Conservative government for "breaking" the healthcare system, and says: "People have the right to be angry".

Some failings are "life or death", he says.

Keir Starmer is speaking now - we'll bring you all the key lines right here, and you can also follow along by pressing the watch live button above.

Keir Starmer is being introduced by Sarah Woolnough, the chief executive of the health think tank, the King's Fund.

She says the report by Lord Darzi, who is in the audience, is "sobering" and "honest".

We can't go on as we are, she says, calling for "change" and "bold action".

Aoife Walsh
Live editor

Image source, PA Media

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is about to give a speech where he will respond to a government-commissioned report into the state of the NHS.

The review, by NHS surgeon and independent peer Lord Darzi, says the health service is in a "critical condition". We've outlined some of it's key findings in our previous post.

In his speech, Starmer is expected to promise “the biggest reimagining of the NHS” since it was formed, along with a new 10-year plan for the health service to be published in the coming months.

We've already heard from Health Secretary Wes Streeting this morning, who told the BBC that "three big shifts" are required to fix the NHS.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Streeting said funding would be prioritised for primary care and community services – not hospitals.

"Rather than a country with an NHS, we're going to have an NHS with a country attached to it if we're not careful, and more likely an NHS that goes bust," Streeting said.

We'll bring you Starmer's speech - and analysis of it - right here.