Summary

  • Keir Starmer is setting out a 10-year plan for a "Neighbourhood Health Service" in England this morning

  • The government says neighbourhood health centres will provide a full range of healthcare services "right on people's doorsteps"

  • The centres will open six days a week, 12 hours a day, and will also offer "debt advice, employment support and stop smoking or weight management"

  • Starmer says the plan will "rewire and futureproof" the NHS, adding: "It's reform or die"

  • Today's announcement follows Starmer backing Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who was seen crying throughout Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday

  • Hours later, Starmer told the BBC's Nick Robinson: "She's done an excellent job as chancellor"

  1. Starmer says NHS plan makes 'three big changes'published at 11:08 British Summer Time

    Next up, Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to those gathered at this hospital in east London.

    He talks about the new NHS plan launched today, saying it will make three big changes to transform healthcare in the UK.

    First, he says the NHS will move away from being just a "sickness service" to a health service that focuses on preventing disease in the first place.

    Second, Starmer says the NHS will shift from being dominated by hospitals to becoming a community neighbourhood health service.

    Finally, he says the third shift is moving from an "analogue" NHS to a "truly digital health service". This means revamping the NHS app, and using technology like AI to save lives and give people more time to care, the prime minister says.

  2. A symbolic appearance from Reevespublished at 11:07 British Summer Time

    Henry Zeffman
    Chief political correspondent

    Rachel Reeves’s presence at this speech is deliberately symbolic.

    This is the government saying in clear, visible terms: the chancellor is going nowhere.

    Keir Starmer said as much to Nick Robinson last night. He has thrown his arms around her today too in an attempt to draw a line under yesterday.

  3. Starmer and Reeves share a hug - hours after he insists she will not lose her jobpublished at 11:05 British Summer Time

    When Reeves left the stage a few minutes ago, clearing the way for Keir Starmer to speak, the pair embraced.

    All eyes were on them, hours after the prime minister said he and Reeves were in "lockstep", telling the BBC that "she will be chancellor for a very long time to come".

    Starmer had been seeking to calm the markets and end speculation about Reeves' future after the chancellor was seen crying in the House of Commons during Prime Minister's Questions.

    Starmer and Reeves hugImage source, UK Pool
  4. Plan is the 'right way forward' - Reevespublished at 10:57 British Summer Time

    Rachel ReevesImage source, UK Pool

    Chancellor Rachel Reeves is up next, and receives a big round of applause when she takes to the stage with a smile on her face.

    She says that the government is "spending money on taxpayers' priorities," and that "wouldn't have been possible without the measures we took in the Budget."

    She adds that the Budget "fixed the foundations" and put the economy back on track.

    She says the new plan is the "right way forward" for the people of the UK and "our nation's finances".

    Reeves adds: "I am proud that with this plan, the NHS will always be there for those who need it."

  5. Health Secretary Wes Streeting announces NHS plans at moment of 'change or bust'published at 10:48 British Summer Time

    Streeting speaking at a podium

    At a hospital in East London, Health Secretary Wes Streeting is speaking about the government's new plans for the NHS.

    He says that it falls to the current generation to rebuild the National Health Service, "to protect in this century what Attlee's government built for the last".

    Streeting says this means high quality healthcare, "not according to wealth but according to needs".

    He repeats that it is "change or bust" for the NHS, emphasising: "we choose change".

    Streeting then suggests that he is sometimes told NHS staff are resistant to change, but responds that they are in fact crying out for it.

    In fact, he says, they are the ones who have to suffer the "moral injury of seeing their patients treated in unfit conditions."

    Just before he finishes, Streeting says he will head to Parliament to give a statement on the plans.

    Chancellor Rachel Reeves follows him next on stage.

  6. Starmer says he had long chat with Reeves and she's finepublished at 10:12 British Summer Time

    Rachel Reeves and Keir StarmerImage source, Getty Images

    We’ve got more comments from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who insists Chancellor Rachel Reeves is "fine" after her tearful appearance at Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday.

    Speaking to Virgin Radio this morning, Starmer says he had a long chat with Reeves last night and repeats that the episode was down to a "purely personal" matter.

    "She’s very resilient and strong is Rachel. She’s driven through lots of change in the Labour Party," he says. "I’ve seen her resilience first hand. I admire it. She’s a really powerful woman, and she’s also very widely respected."

    Starmer also suggests that the "messages of concern" Reeves has received since PMQs show "the great affection and respect in which she is held".

  7. Analysis

    Patients will want to know when this will make a differencepublished at 09:43 British Summer Time

    Hugh Pym
    Health editor

    There’s no doubting the ambition of the NHS plan for England.

    Moving from an essentially hospital-centric system to one where the majority of outpatient appointments will be in local health centres will be a major undertaking.

    Getting staff from different professions ranging from nursing to pharmacy under one roof won’t be straightforward. Sorting out the payment systems which currently incentivise hospitals to treat more patients will be challenging.

    Health think tanks and charities have welcomed the thinking behind this and the long-term goal of a neighbourhood health service. But more funding will be needed for buildings and equipment.

    Patients will want to know when this will make a difference to booking appointments.

    There’s much still to do for NHS leaders and ministers.

    a general view of staff on a NHS hospital ward at Ealing Hospital in LondonImage source, PA Media
  8. How are health organisations reacting?published at 09:23 British Summer Time

    Professor Nicola RangerImage source, PA
    Image caption,

    Nicola Ranger from the Royal College of Nursing says moving care away from overcrowded hospitals is necessary but a nursing workforce is needed to support it

    We’ve been hearing from different organisations about the government’s new NHS plans.

    The Royal College of Nursing says the real issue is that the number of nurses and health visitors has fallen by thousands over the last 15 years. The union says the PM needs to "back up his plan with a clear one to turn around the shortage of nurses in all local communities."

    The British Medical Association says big questions remain about who will staff any new services and how they’ll be funded. Its council chair says: "The limited workforce, who are already feeling undervalued must not be moved around like pieces on a chess board or made to work even harder."

    The Royal College of GPs says it’s worried about the state of many GP practices, which are "in dire need of renovation", and a lack of jobs for newly-qualified GPs.

    Similarly, the head of NHS Confederation says new neighbourhood health services would need sustained investment in buildings and digital infrastructure.

  9. Are NHS waiting times getting better near you?published at 09:02 British Summer Time

    The government has been working to improve NHS waiting times since they took office.

    Curious about how your local NHS services are performing? Use our interactive postcode tool to find out.

    A graph showing NHS waiting list starts to dip in England
  10. Think tank warns moving care closer to home not cheappublished at 08:39 British Summer Time

    The head of health think tank the Nuffield Trust says the government's NHS plan has the "right aspiration" but warns that moving care closer to home "doesn't mean care on the cheap".

    "Let's be under no illusion: this is not a money saving measure," Thea Stein says.

    "Simply saying that the approach will be rolled out, without full details on how to bring it about, casts doubt on whether it will stick."

    The government says the money to pay for the new service will come from the £29bn boost to NHS funding announced in the last Budget.

    A new workforce plan for the health service is expected to be announced later this year which will set targets to recruit new staff to work in community care.

  11. Neighbourhood care saved 1,000 hospital trips last year, says Derbyshire doctorpublished at 08:17 British Summer Time

    Let's step away from what politicians are saying and head to the frontlines.

    Penny Blackwell, clinical director for neighbourhood care in Derby and Derbyshire, has been trialling the neighbourhood concept since 2019.

    Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she says her team work across health and social care to see those in the community that are unable to leave home without support.

    It's not a "new or add-on service", she says. "It’s a teaming up or a better coordination of existing services."

    She adds the care they provide at home prevented around 1,000 unnecessary hospital trips over the last year and 700 unplanned admissions each year.

    Teams aren't working in isolation from hospitals, Blackwell says, they're working together.

    "The beauty of this is the team also has time to be able to pay attention to preventative care," she says, adding that they also support patients with "wider determinants" such as housing, loneliness, and mental health.

  12. Is it a building? - Streeting asked about new neighbourhood health centrespublished at 08:16 British Summer Time

    Wes Streeting

    Health Secretary Wes Streeting has given more detail to BBC Breakfast about the government's new NHS plans.

    The government is rolling out Neighbourhood Health Services over the next few years, he says.

    Asked if the plan means there will be a building, Streeting says he’s standing in one now in east London.

    He explains the centres will offer a range of NHS services "under one roof" - including GP appointments, diagnostic tests, scans, blood tests and dentistry.

    The centres will also provide "same day care for minor injuries" so people don’t have to go to a busy A&E.

    Streeting says the focus will be on bringing these services to "areas of high deprivation or rural or coastal communities where the nearest hospital is far away."

  13. Reeves is 'tough and she will bounce back' - Streetingpublished at 07:57 British Summer Time

    Health Secretary Wes Streeting is on BBC Breakfast to talk about the NHS plans - but first he's asked about Rachel Reeves' tears in the Commons yesterday.

    Streeting says we all have times when "things have been going in our own lives and we take ourselves off to work and when you walk through the front door it’s not like those problems are left behind".

    The difference is that politicians are "on show", he says.

    But Reeves is here stay as chancellor, he insists. "She is tough she will bounce back."

    Asked about shadow justice minister Robert Jenrick’s comments that Reeves' career is now dead, Streeting condemns the comments, saying: "When people show you who they are, believe them."

    He notes the chancellor did have support from some Conservatives such as Sajid Javid - Streeting claims his decency is in "short supply in the modern Conservative Party".

  14. 'Why it will be different this time?' asks think tankpublished at 07:47 British Summer Time

    Government ministers are out and about, promoting their plans for the NHS - and we'll have new comments from Health Secretary Wes Streeting next.

    But speaking about the plans, Sarah Woolnough - the chief executive of the health think-tank, the King’s Fund - asks: "Why it will be different this time?"

    "When will it mean people can see a GP more easily, or get mental health support for their child, or not wait hours in A&E?" Woolnough asks.

    She says "there is plenty to welcome in the details we’ve seen so far", with the "biggest changes" including the new Neighbourhood Health Centres and a bigger role for the NHS app.

    But she adds that the shift of care from hospital to community "is not new", and that "some of the measures outlined to improve health" doesn't felt "sufficiently radical".

    "Unlike previous plans, this plan will not come with promises of significantly more funding or staff to deliver the improvements patients need."

  15. How will the new neighbourhood health hubs work?published at 07:35 British Summer Time

    Under the government's plans, "Neighbourhood Health Services" will be introduced across England to "shift care out of hospitals and into the community".

    But how will they work, and what will they look like?

    • The "neighbourhood health centres" will house a number of services "under one roof" - including diagnostics, post-operative care, mental health support and rehab, but also debt advice, employment support and "stop smoking or weight management"
    • They will be open six days a week, for 12 hours a day
    • Centres will be operated by "neighbourhood teams", including nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors, palliative care staff, and paramedics
    • The government says dental care professionals will also be a part of these teams - though it's unclear whether they will always be based within the health centres, or at a separate premises
    • Community health workers and volunteers "will play a pivotal role", with schemes such as door-to-door outreach
  16. Reeves doing excellent job, PM tells BBC after Commons tearspublished at 07:19 British Summer Time

    The prime minister has backed Rachel Reeves to stay on as chancellor for "many years to come" after she was seen crying during PMQs.

    In the Commons, Starmer didn’t say whether Reeves would still be in her job at the next election.

    But later, speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Political Thinking with Nick Robinson, Starmer said he worked "in lockstep" with Reeves and that she was "doing an excellent job as chancellor".

    He also insisted her tearful appearance had "nothing to do with politics".

    You can watch a clip of the conversation below.

    Media caption,

    Reeves will be chancellor 'for a very long time to come', says Starmer

  17. 'Deeply upsetting' to see chancellor in tears - shadow ministerpublished at 07:06 British Summer Time

    The Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride

    The NHS reform plan set to be announced today comes after yesterday's PMQs, where Chancellor Rachel Reeves was seen in tears.

    Shadow chancellor Mel Stride tells BBC Breakfast he sent Reeves a message yesterday “just to say I hope that she was all right”.

    “I felt for her,” he says.

    He adds it was “deeply upsetting to see”, especially as it was “such a public moment”.

    “We are all human beings at the end of the day - politicians are human beings - they do have feelings,” he says.

    But on the business side, he says the welfare U-turn shows the government “is not gripping things”, and adds the bond markets “are quite twitchy”.

  18. 'It's reform or die' for the NHS, says Starmerpublished at 06:53 British Summer Time

    Keir Starmer during a visit to the Elective Orthopaedic Centre at Epsom Hospital in JanuaryImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Keir Starmer during a visit to the Elective Orthopaedic Centre at Epsom Hospital in January

    In comments released overnight, Keir Starmer says the health system the government has inherited is "in crisis".

    "That ends now," he says. "Because it’s reform or die.

    "Our 10 Year Health Plan will fundamentally rewire and future-proof our NHS so that it puts care on people’s doorsteps, harnesses game-changing tech and prevents illness in the first place."

    This means, Starmer says, giving everyone access to GPs, nurses and wider support all under one roof in their neighbourhood, and "rebalancing our health system so that it fits around patients’ lives, not the other way round".

    He says it’s not an overnight fix, but the government is already "turning the tide on years of decline", with four million extra NHS appointments, 1,900 more GPs and waiting lists at their lowest level for two years.

    "But there’s more to come. This government is giving patients easier, quicker and more convenient care, wherever they live."

  19. What will the 'Neighbourhood Health Service' look like?published at 06:45 British Summer Time

    Keir Starmer says today's plan will "fundamentally rewire" the NHS in England, with a focus on three areas: moving from treatment to prevention, analogue to digital, and hospital to more community care.

    What does that mean in practice?

    • New neighbourhood health services, open 12 hours a day, six days a week, will be launched across the country offering tests, post-operation care, nursing and mental health treatment
    • To "bring back the family doctor" system, thousands more GPs will be trained
    • There will also be a push for GPs to lean on artificial intelligence to take notes while other technology will be used to speed up answering calls to surgeries
    • Newly qualified dentists will need to practise in the NHS for a minimum period - the government has indicated they intend this to be three years
  20. Starmer sets out 10-year NHS plan amid 'tough' few days for Labourpublished at 06:43 British Summer Time

    Media caption,

    Watch: Starmer says past few days have 'been tough'

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer is today setting out a 10-year plan for the NHS in England, aiming to move the health service towards prevention and community care, as well as digitalising it.

    The prime minister says his NHS plan will "fundamentally rewire" the service, with the aim that by 2035 most outpatient care - including eye care, cardiology and mental health - will happen outside hospitals.

    But while the government is selling the "Neighbourhood Health Service" as a major overhaul, others are asking how soon people will see a difference - and exactly how, and if, it will work.

    Today's announcement follows Starmer giving his "full backing" to Chancellor Rachel Reeves after her tearful appearance in the Commons yesterday.

    The last few days have been "tough" for Starmer's government, the PM said, after a major climbdown over welfare changes left a hole in Labour's spending plans.

    Speaking to Nick Robinson, Starmer admitted he "did not engage" properly with Labour MPs on the issue, and praised Reeves for "doing an excellent job as chancellor".

    We'll bring you all the latest updates, analysis and reaction to all of the above throughout the day.

    Media caption,

    Reeves appears tearful during PMQs