Digital health suppliers have at-scale opportunities delivering the UK NHS 10-year plan

The UK government published the much-anticipated NHS 10-Year Health Plan in July detailing its bold vision for a more efficient, innovative and fully digital NHS that looks to the private sector for much of its delivery – with digital health suppliers pivotal in the delivery of the proposed reforms.

The 10-year plan addresses the government's blunt assessment last year of the NHS as "broken" and will inform policy decisions across the healthcare service for years to come. The NHS plan looks to artificial intelligence (AI) and wearable devices as transformative technology that will be central to the delivery of UK healthcare. Digital health suppliers will have significant opportunities as they drive the implementation of the plan but will also need to watch for compliance as they deliver on the government's vision for the NHS.

Role of AI in innovation

AI will be the main area for digital health providers to concentrate on and innovate in the plan's delivery. The plan offers digital health providers affirmation and certainty that AI is integral to the new proposed model of NHS care. Whether using AI to generate insights from wearables, power NHS digital tools or interpret genomic data to delivered prevention, the plan makes a big bet on AI seamlessly integrating into clinical pathways.

This aligns with the NHS 2026/2027 procurement plan's proposed new national framework for ambient AI technologies that are accessible to all the healthcare service's organisations including GPs. The development was widely expected following NHS England's publication in April of guidance for NHS buyers on procuring ambient AI products, which serves as a useful blueprint for how the NHS could go about drafting a specification for AI technology to be procured on a national scale.

Health app central procurement

Once evaluated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, health apps will be procured centrally on behalf of all NHS organisations and then made available to patients through the HealthStore. Some apps will be available to everyone and some only to those with specific conditions. If more than one app is available, patients can choose which app to use.

The focus on central procurement could create significant opportunities for private sector developers and suppliers of digital health apps, AI, telehealth and data management solutions to scale their offerings. Developers will need to design those solutions with the enhanced NHS digital ecosystem in mind. For instance, digital health developers will need to ensure that IT services they offer related to these solutions adhere to any mandatory information standards published under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.

Private sector driven

The private sector will drive the development of digital infrastructure to support the app's expansion to become the NHS' digital "front door" by 2028. The NHS will look to the private sector to develop robust digital infrastructure to support its app, and secondary systems such as My NHS GP, My Choices, My Care, My Specialist, My Consult, My Vaccines, My Medicines and My Health.

The expanded NHS App will allow patients to book same-day appointments and tests at GPs and urgent treatment centres, receive AI-powered advice, manage medicines and long-term conditions, choose their preferred provider, and access personalised care plans. On the clinicians' side, it will enable continuous monitoring and allow clinicians to reach out proactively at the first sign of deterioration, allowing for the creation of virtual wards. Many of the most significant initiatives in the plan rely heavily on the NHS App, creating numerous opportunities for private sector suppliers to contribute to its development and functionality.

Neighbourhood health services

The plan aims to establish new neighbourhood health centres within every community, which will become the new hubs for outpatient care. In order to furnish these community-based services with the digital tools they need to provide care, the government will procure a new digital platform, available to all NHS organisations.

The digital platform will provide access to tools to enable remote patient monitoring with data flowing to the NHS App and single patient records, care plan creation with generative AI creating first drafts, and support for managing multidisciplinary teams including workflow management and case escalation. It will also offer important safety features such as GPS tracking, emergency help buttons, and live broadcasts in emergency situations. Many of these tools will need to come from digital health suppliers.

Wearable technology

There are around 10 million people in the UK who currently have smartwatches, according to 2025 statistics quoted by the plan, and around two thirds of respondents in a 2024 survey tracked at least one aspect of their health using an app or device.

The NHS intends to trial real-world evaluation and development of the next generation of wearable technology, and devices will be provided for free in areas where health need and deprivation are highest. Data gathered from wearables will then be connected to the NHS App, enabling patients to be monitored remotely via virtual wards and healthcare to be administered proactively when needed. By 2028, the government's ambition is to use wearable devices for the remote monitoring of cardiovascular disease as a standard part of NHS care.

Osborne Clarke comment

The 10-year plan offers potentially significant opportunities for digital health suppliers, particularly in AI integration, wearable technology, and the expansion of the NHS app. It opens the way for suppliers to scale their solutions rapidly through the new HealthStore and contribute to the development of robust digital infrastructure for various NHS services, including neighbourhood health centres. The focus on AI technologies and wearable devices highlights the government's intention to integrate advanced digital tools into clinical pathways, presenting suppliers with a clear direction for innovation.

However, suppliers will need to navigate challenges such as compliance with mandatory information standards under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 and ensuring their solutions are scalable and robust. Continuous innovation will be essential to meet the evolving needs of the NHS and its patients, particularly in areas like AI-powered advice and remote monitoring. But, broadly, the 10-year plan represents a transformative vision for healthcare that will require digital health suppliers to play a pivotal role in its success in enhancing patient care and operational efficiency within the NHS.