What Starmer’s 10-year NHS plan means for healthcare

The NHS is the backbone of UK healthcare, and every plan to improve it deserves close attention. On July 3, 2025, Keir Starmer unveiled an ambitious 10-year plan aimed at transforming the NHS from a reactive “sickness service” to a proactive “health service.”

His strategy focuses on prevention, early diagnosis, digital accessibility, and localised care delivery, which are all important themes. But delivery will depend not just on policy, but on practical systems including infrastructure, staffing, logistics, and equipment.

At CoolMed, we’re proud to play a small but vital role in that system. Our medical refrigeration units are used across NHS Trusts to store vaccines, medications, and diagnostic samples safely.

Let’s unpack the proposals:

A healthier NHS

What’s proposed?

·       Up to 300 new Neighbourhood Health Centres offering diagnostics, mental-health support, rehabilitation and social-care liaison under one roof.

·       More care delivered closer to home, reducing pressure on acute hospitals and A&E departments.

Our perspective:

Community care is a logical and necessary evolution of the NHS model. It allows for earlier intervention, supports preventative health, and reduces the load on hospital services. But these centres will need rigorous planning, resilient infrastructure, and agile procurement.

Decentralising diagnostics means smaller centres will need to handle complex tasks previously reserved for hospitals, such as pathology testing and vaccination storage. That includes reliable cold-chain systems to maintain the integrity of vaccines and temperature-sensitive medicines.

“We specialise in vaccine storage – a core component of preventative treatment. We welcome the changes but want to make sure that, as this is rolled out, the attention to quality is also rolled out. That extends to critical details like maintaining cold chain excellence with effective medical refrigeration.” – Sam Lister, Account Manager, CoolMed.

We know from experience that the success of neighbourhood hubs will rely on how well we equip them for safe, compliant clinical delivery, including everything from well-trained staff to safe vaccine storage.

Working smarter with digital innovation

What’s proposed?

• A richer NHS App with AI-powered symptom checkers, instant appointment booking, and remote monitoring, all integrated with patient records.
• Digital-first pathways for routine care, freeing up clinical time and reducing waiting lists.

Our perspective:

We welcome the efficiencies that digital-first brings, but urge the roll out to consider accessibility as part of that approach.
Community healthcare must be for everyone, not just those who are comfortable navigating apps and online portals. It’s vital that we don’t conflate “digital-first” with “digital-only.”

To work well, digital systems should enhance the patient experience, not become a barrier to it. For elderly patients, those without smartphones, or people living in areas with poor connectivity, a tech-heavy system can feel alienating.

Systems should enhance the patient experience, not create barriers to it. Whether it’s booking through an app or speaking to a receptionist, patients need flexibility in how they access care.

Technology should support delivery, not define it. Just like the best healthcare equipment, digital tools should be dependable, user-friendly, and work behind the scenes to support frontline professionals.

Prevention over cure – a new focus on public health

What’s proposed?

• Expanded vaccination campaigns, community nutrition schemes, and access to new weight-loss medications.
• A cross-government “health in all policies” approach, tackling obesity, smoking and mental-health stigma.

Our perspective:

Delivering vaccination campaigns or nutritional schemes at scale requires more than a public awareness campaign. It demands supply chain integrity, reliable storage, and community-level access.

During COVID-19, we saw the real-time challenge of scaling cold-chain logistics nationally. These lessons must be retained as we expand public health interventions.

For many, especially in underserved communities, confidence in the system depends on seeing investment at the local level instead of just policy announcements from Westminster.

If public health is to be taken seriously, the systems that support it, from community fridges to mobile clinics, must be treated as mission-critical.

Balancing efficiency and morale with a workforce reform

What’s proposed?

• A leaner administrative structure, merging back-office functions and devolving more decisions to frontline staff.
• New career pathways and flexible roles to retain talent.

Our perspective:

Frontline staff are the heart of the NHS and so the reform must respect that. Trustworthiness in an organisation comes from transparency with clear objectives, open forums for feedback, and visible metrics of success. Centralisation and efficiency must come hand in hand with listening to those on the ground.

From working with NHS procurement teams, we know that reliable suppliers and responsive customer support make a vital difference.

Is £30 billion investment enough?

Starmer has earmarked £30 billion of new investment, aiming to cover capital upgrades, workforce expansion and digital rollout. While this level of commitment is welcome, the real challenge lies in transparent allocation and agile governance.

“£30 billion is a promising headline, but what matters is how, where, and when that money is spent. Investment needs to flow beyond policy and into the everyday systems that keep the NHS running. If the NHS is serious about community care, investments in core facilities must match the headlines.” – Stephen Johnson, CEO, CoolMed.

Turning vision into reality

We believe Starmer’s 10-year NHS plan is ambitious, thoughtful, and heading in the right direction. But like any long-term strategy, success depends on execution without overlooking the practical details that underpin patient care.

Whether it’s a community clinic, a mobile health unit, or a flagship NHS hospital, cold chain compliance remains critical. . At CoolMed, we’re proud to support the healthcare professionals making it happen by delivering reliable, affordable medical refrigeration to support frontline health workers across the UK.

Explore our range of medical-grade fridges trusted by healthcare professionals across the UK: https://coolmed.co.uk/medical-refrigerators/

Need advice? Get in touch with our expert team: https://coolmed.co.uk/contact-us/