The government has published a new 10 Year Capital Plan for Health and Social Care, setting out a long-term programme of investment in NHS buildings, infrastructure and technology aimed at modernising the healthcare estate and supporting the shift towards more community-based care.
At the centre of the strategy is a record NHS capital budget that will rise to £15bn by 2029/30 from a baseline of approximately £13.4bn in the 2024/25 financial year.
The budget will help replace annual funding settlements with a longer-term approach designed to give NHS organisations and the construction sector greater certainty over future investment.
What exactly is covered by the budget?
The plan commits at least £6.75bn over the next nine years to tackle the NHS maintenance backlog, repair ageing hospitals and replace unsafe buildings.
A further £2bn has been allocated to remove reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) from affected hospitals as part of wider efforts to improve the safety and resilience of the healthcare estate.
The government also confirmed plans to deliver 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres, bringing together GP services, diagnostics, community care and other healthcare services under one roof.
The facilities form a key part of the NHS's shift from hospital-based care towards treatment closer to patients' homes.
Primary care infrastructure also receives additional investment through a further £200m to expand and modernise GP surgeries.
Government figures show that almost 800 GP surgery upgrades have already been completed since May 2025, creating capacity for an estimated nine million additional appointments.
Alongside investment in new and existing facilities, the plan proposes reforms intended to accelerate healthcare construction.
NHS and Department of Health and Social Care projects valued at up to £300m will no longer require repeated Treasury approval, while only schemes exceeding £1bn or undergoing significant scope changes will require further Treasury sign-off.
The government says the change will reduce delays and enable hospitals to begin estate improvements more quickly.
The strategy also includes proposals to transfer ownership of more NHS buildings and land from NHS Property Services to local NHS organisations, giving systems greater control over estate planning and development.
Ministers say the reforms will provide construction firms, consultants and technology suppliers with greater visibility of the future NHS project pipeline, encouraging investment in skills and innovation across the healthcare infrastructure sector.
The capital plan extends beyond healthcare facilities, with proposals to develop affordable homes on surplus NHS land for healthcare workers, helping address recruitment and retention challenges in areas with high housing costs.
Digital infrastructure also forms part of the programme, with investment in modern clinical systems, a single patient record and upgrades to ageing NHS technology intended to support the wider ambitions of the government's 10 Year Health Plan.
