10 Year Capital Plan for Health and Social Care · first published 8 July 2026
This plan sets out how the government will spend an unprecedented capital budget on NHS and social care infrastructure over 10 years. It covers three main areas: building and upgrading neighbourhood health centres and GP premises; investing over £4.4 billion in digital technology including the NHS App, AI tools and a single patient record; and tackling the £15.9 billion backlog in hospital maintenance through a minimum £6.75 billion Estates Safety Fund. The plan also commits around £3 billion to the New Hospital Programme annually from 2030, and over £650 million to Genomics England. For small businesses, the most relevant opportunities lie in construction and refurbishment works, digital and technology supply chains, life sciences and medtech manufacturing, and research infrastructure — all of which are explicitly designed to engage the private sector and supply chains across England.
WHO THIS APPLIES TO
THE ENKII VIEW
The plan is unusually explicit about wanting to grow market and supply chain capacity — the Hospital 2.0 Alliance, the NIHR Innovation Catalyst for small and medium biotech/medtech firms, and the new public-private partnership model for neighbourhood health centres all create named routes in for smaller firms. SMEs in construction, digital, life sciences, medtech and facilities management have a rare window: long-term funding certainty means buyers can plan multi-year contracts, which suits suppliers who invest in relationships early. The NIHR Innovation Catalyst is the single clearest direct SME signal in the document — it explicitly names small and medium-sized biotech and medtech enterprises as the target audience.
Every rule below quotes the official document verbatim.
The NHS capital budget will rise to £15 billion per year by 2029-30 — the highest it has ever been. (DHSC capital budget, all NHS and health capital spending, up to financial year 2029-30)
“the healthcare capital budget will rise to £15 billion by 2029 to 2030 - the highest it has ever been”
The 10-year funding settlement for operational capital and maintenance is £65 billion, with NHS maintenance budgets extended to 2035. (NHS operational capital and maintenance, England, financial years 2026-27 to 2034-35)
“£65 billion 10-year funding settlement for operational capital and maintenance funding confirmed through the 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy”
A minimum of £6.75 billion will be provided through the Estates Safety Fund over 9 years (2026-27 to 2034-35) for hospital repair and maintenance. (NHS hospital estate, England, financial years 2026-27 to 2034-35)
“we will deliver a step change in estates investment by providing a minimum of £6.75 billion through the Estates Safety Fund over the next 9 years (between financial years 2026 to 2027 and 2034 to 2035)”
Over £4.4 billion of capital will be invested in technology and digital programmes over the Spending Review period (to 2030). (NHS digital and technology capital, England, Spending Review period to 2030)
“the government will invest over £4.4 billion of capital in technology and digital programmes”
250 neighbourhood health centres (NHCs) will be delivered, with 120 operational by 2030, supported by around £200 million of public capital funding over the Spending Review period. (Neighbourhood health centres, England, to 2030)
“we committed to delivering 250 neighbourhood health centres ( NHCs ) with 120 operational by 2030 … around £200 million of public capital funding over the SR period to 2030, alongside funding through PPPs”
NHCs will be delivered via two routes: upgrading existing estate (public capital) and purpose-built new facilities (public capital plus a new public-private partnership financing model). (Neighbourhood health centres, England)
“There will be 2 main routes to establishing NHCs - through the: upgrading and repurposing of existing estate … provision of purpose-built, digitally enabled new facilities … supported through a combination of public capital and the new public-private partnership ( PPP ) financing model”
£200 million of further investment will continue the Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund (PCUMF) this Parliament, enabling multi-year GP practice upgrades. (GP and primary care estate, England, current Parliament)
“we will continue the PCUMF , providing £200 million of further investment this Parliament”
The New Hospital Programme (NHP) will average around £3 billion a year from 2030, covering multiple hospital waves. (New Hospital Programme, England, from 2030)
“we have committed significant long-term investment that will average around £3 billion a year from 2030”
£1.6 billion will be invested over 4 years to eradicate reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) from 22 hospitals and progress remaining sites, with full eradication targeted by 2035. (RAAC-affected NHS hospitals, England, next 4 years to 2035)
“we will eradicate RAAC from 22 hospitals and progress works at the remaining hospital sites to protect patients, staff and the public, backed by £1.6 billion of investment”
Around £5 billion will be invested over the Spending Review period to support return to elective constitutional standards, including diagnostics, urgent treatment centres, emergency departments and surgical hubs. (Elective and emergency care estate, England, Spending Review period to 2030)
“significant funding of around £5 billion over this SR period up to 2030”
More than £650 million will be invested over 5 years in Genomics England. (Genomics England, England, 5-year period)
“this government has underlined its long-term commitment to genomics by pledging more than £650 million of investment, over 5 years, in Genomics England”
£500 million will be invested in the Health Data Research Service (HDRS), plus a further £100 million from the Wellcome Trust. (Health Data Research Service, UK)
“We will also invest £500 million to support the HDRS , alongside a further £100 million from the Wellcome Trust”
Up to £520 million will be invested in the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund to attract and scale medicines and medtech manufacturing in the UK. (Life sciences manufacturing, UK)
“This government is also investing up to £520 million in the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund to attract and scale high-value medicines and medtech manufacturing in the UK”
Almost £1 billion of capital and revenue will be invested in cyber resilience across health and social care over the Spending Review period. (NHS and social care cyber resilience, England, Spending Review period to 2030)
“We are investing almost £1 billion of both capital and revenue investment in the cyber resilience programme over the SR period”
Up to £1 billion of capital and revenue will be invested in pandemic preparedness over the Spending Review period. (Pandemic preparedness, UK, Spending Review period to 2030)
“We will invest up to £1 billion of capital and revenue funding over the course of this SR period to replenish and expand stockpiles”
Over £250 million of revenue and capital will be spent this Parliament on the new National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, with full operation by 2038. (National Biosecurity Centre, Harlow, Essex; current Parliament)
“This multibillion-pound investment, with over £250 million of revenue and capital to be spent over this Parliament”
The NIHR Innovation Catalyst explicitly targets small and medium-sized biotech and medtech enterprises to develop and evaluate high-value health innovation. (Small and medium-sized biotech and medtech firms, UK)
“NIHR 's Innovation Catalyst : strengthens the government's offer to small and medium-sized biotech and medtech enterprises to develop and evaluate high‑value innovation”
10 contractors joined the Hospital 2.0 Alliance in March 2026, bringing together NHS England, NHS trusts, construction partners and wider supply chain in an alliance model. (New Hospital Programme construction supply chain, England, from March 2026)
“In March 2026, we announced that 10 contractors had joined the Hospital 2.0 Alliance, which brings together NHS England, NHS trusts, construction partners and the wider supply chain in a true alliance model”
15 commercial research delivery centres (CRDCs) and 14 primary care CRDCs will be funded in England to accelerate clinical research delivery. (Clinical research infrastructure, England)
“This includes funding for 15 commercial research delivery centres ( CRDCs ) and 14 primary care CRDCs in England to enhance the speed and efficiency of commercial clinical research delivery”
The first 27 NHC upgrade schemes were announced in March 2026, with delivery expected by March 2027; a further pipeline will be published later in financial year 2026-27. (Neighbourhood health centre upgrade schemes, England)
“The first 27 NHC upgrade schemes were announced in March 2026, with delivery expected to be completed by March 2027. We will build on this by bringing forward a pipeline of future projects later this financial year.”
Wave 1 of the New Hospital Programme (16 hospitals) is expected to begin construction or substantially progress development by 2030; wave 2 (9 further schemes) will be in progress by 2035. (New Hospital Programme, England, to 2035)
“By 2030, we expect to begin construction and substantially progress development of all 16 hospitals in wave 1 across all regions in England … By 2035, a further 9 schemes will be in progress as part of wave 2”
The government will move to a consistent fiscal cycle of 5-year capital budgets, extended every 2 years at spending reviews, to avoid funding 'cliff edges'. (All NHS and DHSC capital programmes, England)
“the government has committed to a consistent fiscal cycle of 5-year capital budgets, which will be extended every 2 years at regular spending reviews, avoiding funding 'cliff edges' and providing greater certainty”
Every £1 invested by DHSC through NIHR is stated to generate a return of £13 in economic benefit. (NIHR-funded research and innovation, UK)
“every £1 invested by DHSC through NIHR generates a return of £13 in economic benefit that is driven by improved health outcomes, increased productivity and commercial impacts”
This briefing is enkii's interpretation of the official document — the official text always governs.
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