What the NHS 10-Year Plan could mean for unpaid carers

We asked the Mobilise Community: In the last year, how would you rate the NHS services you’ve experienced?

Nearly 40% shared that services require improvement. That response is a clear reminder that while the NHS is something many of us value, it’s also under strain and change is needed. So what might those changes look like, and what does the Government have planned to improve the NHS?

The NHS 10-Year Plan: fit for the future, sets out how health and care services in England are expected to change between now and 2035. Its main focus is on moving more care into communities rather than hospitals, using digital tools like shared records and virtual wards to better join up services, and placing greater emphasis on prevention so that health issues can be caught earlier rather than reaching a crisis point.

For those of us caring for family or friends, these changes might be causing some anxiety around the potential impact they might have on our caring situation.

Shifting some of the care out of hospitals and into our homes could mean even more responsibility is placed on us, without always guaranteeing the extra support we need to manage that. On the flip side, the plans promise better coordination, fewer repeated conversations, and quicker access to support when we need it.

This blog won’t cover every technical detail of the proposed 10-Year plan. Instead, it will highlight what these changes might mean for us as carers, the opportunities, the challenges, and how we can make sure our voices help to shape what comes next.

What does the NHS 10-Year Plan actually set out to do (in simple terms)

At its heart, the NHS 10-Year Plan is about rethinking how health and care are delivered across the UK. Its vision is built around three major shifts:

1. From hospitals to communities

At the moment, the NHS is still very hospital-centred. The 10-Year Plan aims to change that by shifting more services into local communities, making health care easier to access.

The new Neighbourhood Health Service will play a key role in this shift. Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHC) will bring together GPs, nurses, pharmacists, and other professionals into patient-centred teams. They will be open for longer hours and provide a place where people can get help with everything from long-term conditions to urgent needs.

Over time, this shift to community based support will mean:

• More care at home or nearby through community nurses, virtual wards, and neighbourhood health centres.

• Easier access to GPs and urgent care for everyone.

• Greater personal involvement in care, with most people who have complex needs having their own agreed care plan, and many more offered personal health budgets to shape their support.

By making more health care as locally available as possible, hospitals will be freed up to focus on specialist and emergency treatment. This should also help reduce issues like corridor care, long waits, and unnecessary hospital stays.

2. From analogue to digital

For decades, the NHS has largely operated on an analogue system, but this plan sets out to harness modern technology and put more power directly in patients’ hands by delivering a streamlined digital system where medical records follow patients seamlessly. This means fewer gaps in communication, less time repeating our loved one’s health history, and reduced admin pressure on staff.

By 2028, the existing NHS App will be updated and become the “front door” to the national health service. We will soon be able to access a wide range of services such as instant advice for non-urgent needs, guidance on the most appropriate service, and even the ability to book directly for tests or consultations. 

The updated NHS app will also include features like My Carer, which allows us to coordinate the appointments and treatments of the person we care for. My Medicines to help us manage prescriptions and refills and My Vaccines to book routine vaccinations and jabs. There are even plans for My Children to help parents and guardians manage their child's healthcare more seamlessly.

Beyond the app, the plan aims to introduce a single patient record that follows someone across every service from GP to hospital to community care, making the healthcare we receive more personalised and joined up. 

The NHS staff will also benefit from new technologies like AI scribes and single sign-on systems that will reduce paperwork and free up more time for direct patient care.

3. From treating sickness to preventing it

Instead of responding in times of crisis, the focus will be on keeping people healthier and more independent for longer through early intervention and preventive support. 

The NHS has set some goals around halving the healthy life expectancy gap between the richest and poorest regions, increasing healthy life expectancy, and raising the healthiest generation of children ever. To achieve this, the plan draws on a wide range of measures from new laws on tobacco and vaping, to limiting junk food advertising, expanding mental health support in schools and using new treatments and tests to spot health problems sooner.

If we want to learn more about these three shifts, the government has released an executive summary of the plan.

Opportunities and challenges for us as carers

The NHS 10-Year Plan promises some exciting opportunities for much-needed improvements to our existing healthcare system, but it also carries challenges that we need to be aware of. Each of the three major shifts could affect us in different ways.

From hospitals to communities

One of the biggest changes will be moving more care closer to home.

Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHC) could mean quicker access to healthcare for the person we care for, less travel, and a team of professionals who understand their needs and can coordinate healthcare and support more efficiently with reduced wait times.

Community-based support might also bring about opportunities for better care provisions. With more personalised care plans and personal health budgets, we might find there's greater flexibility in tailoring the support our cared-for receives. Having a clear plan and a coordinated team around our loved one might reduce the stress of repeated appointments and fractured communication between different services that we would usually have to navigate alone.

However, this shift risks placing additional responsibilities on us as carers. If there's a shift to delivering more care at home through things like virtual wards, we may be expected to manage parts of our care-for's health that might have been previously handled by clinical staff.

If we would like more information on virtual wards, including how they work, what to expect and FAQ's, read Virtual wards: A comprehensive guide for carers. Alternatively, we could read Clare's story to learn what it's like to care for someone through a virtual ward.

From analogue to digital

The plan’s goals for digitising the NHS could make our caring responsibilities easier in some respects.

Updated NHS apps and shared digital records could mean fewer gaps in communication and less repetition of health information across appointments. Being able to coordinate appointments, manage medications, and monitor health digitally all in one place could save time and reduce confusion.

Yet for some of us, particularly if we're less confident with technology or without reliable access to devices, a digital-first system may feel really challenging and possibly isolating. There is a real risk that reliance on technology could unintentionally leave those of us who are less confident with technology struggling to keep up with changes.

The NHS has some existing resources on how to use the current version of the NHS App.

From treating sickness to preventing it

The focus on prevention and early intervention is another major shift that will have an impact on us. Catching health problems sooner, reducing unnecessary hospital admissions, and supporting people to stay healthier for longer could mean fewer crises, less last-minute hospital travel, and a more proactive approach to managing the health of the person we care for.

However, focusing on prevention measures could bring new responsibilities, such as supporting lifestyle changes, attending routine check-ups, or monitoring early warning signs at home. While these could be positive in the long term, they may add to our daily workload and require more time, energy, and knowledge. Balancing preventive care with other responsibilities might feel overwhelming, particularly if additional support isn’t in place.

Knowing our rights as our responsibilities grow under the NHS 10-Year Plan 

As the NHS 10-Year Plan takes shape, one thing is certain: our rights and entitlements as carers remain. Whatever new responsibilities may come our way, these protections are here to help us manage, and now is a good time to remind ourselves of what we’re entitled to.

Under the Care Act 2014, we have the right to a Carer’s Assessment. This means our needs must be considered alongside those of the person we care for as part of the care planning process. 

At work, our rights matter too. Flexible working and the right to Carer’s Leave are there to help us balance our caring responsibilities with employment, giving us the chance to take additional time off if we need it. Financial support such as Carer’s Allowance or Universal Credit may also play a role in making ends meet.

The 10-Year Plan recognises carers as a vital part of the health and care system, a step that can feel both encouraging and a little daunting. While this recognition brings new pressures, our existing rights and support can help us navigate the transition with more confidence. Our rights aren’t just boxes to tick but practical tools to protect our wellbeing and ensure we’re not left carrying more than we can manage at any given time.

Where to find support

In addition to our rights, it’s equally important to recognise when we need support for ourselves. Change can feel unsettling, especially when we’re already juggling so much. The good news is we don’t have to do it alone.

Connecting with other carers who are also navigating the changes can help bring some reassurance if we're feeling anxious. If we need help finding safe peer support, the Mobilise Hub is a great place to start. It's a free space that allows us to connect with thousands of other unpaid carers from across the UK.

Local carers centres are also there to offer practical help, information, and someone to talk things through with. We can use this handy tool to find what care services are available in our area. If we want some inspiration on how to make the most of local support, read Carer organisations: in-person support that makes a real difference to learn more.

We might also find that as the changes roll out, it becomes even more important for us to lean on our existing support networks. Yet many of us know how hard it can be to ask for help, or even to know how to start those conversations. If this feels familiar, we might find the following resources helpful:

• Asking for help by saying what we need

• Eight common communication challenges for carers and how to tackle them

Using our voice to shape the future

The NHS 10-Year Plan makes it clear that carers play a vital part in the health and care system, but being recognised on paper is only half the story. Real change happens when our voices are heard in the decisions that affect us. As carers, we bring lived experience that professionals and policymakers simply can’t replicate.

In the years ahead, we can expect more opportunities to get involved in shaping local services. This might look like being invited to take part in surveys, co-production groups, or meetings where our insights help guide what new local health services look like in practice.

National organisations like Carers UK and the We Care Campaign are also creating ways for us to feed into their campaigns without adding to our workload. If we're curious about how to get involved in a way that feels manageable, we’ve shared some simple ideas on how to campaign and be heard.

Even though the official consultation on the 10-Year Plan has now closed, we can still give feedback to the NHS in other ways. Platforms like the NHS website and Care Opinion allow us to share comments and stories about our experiences, while the NHS Customer Contact Centre provides a direct way to raise concerns or make a complaint.

Even small steps like leaving a comment, sharing our story in the Mobilise Hub, or answering a local survey can make a real difference. When we speak out, we’re not only helping to shape better services for ourselves, but for the thousands of other carers navigating the same challenges.

If carers designed the NHS 10-Year Plan

When we asked the Mobilise community what they would change if they were writing the NHS’s 10-Year Plan, the answers varied. Some called for quicker access to GPs and specialists, more joined-up communication, and genuine recognition of carers’ expertise. Others pointed to the need for stronger mental health support, shorter waiting times, and reassurance that “prevention” won’t simply mean more pressure on families.

Below are some of the responses: 

"Easier access to healthcare appointments. Faster pathways to diagnosis of Dementia (took 2 years to get diagnosis for my dad!) and access to support services."

"Increase local services instead of centralising them."

"Just pay them all properly and give them all a knighthood"

"Make doctors open for 7 days a week to take pressure off the A&E units. Have appointments after 5pm for workers to keep them working. Get the different departments to communicate with one another over patients' medical history."

"EVERYTHING"

"Better pay to attract new nurses and doctors" 

"Funding needs to be increased, more staff need to be recruited, facilities need to be upgraded, more GP surgeries and GPs"

"Use technology to speed up discharge and a more "umbrella" service where departments actually share information to make care more cohesive."

"I would have more access to centres where several conditions could be handled at once, instead of having separate appointments for different specialisms. Putting the patient, not the current structure first." 

"Less bureaucracy"

"Make more GP appointments available and more easily accessible. Not everyone is internet ready, especially the over 60s like myself."

What now? 

The NHS 10-Year Plan shows us that carers are finally being recognised as a vital part of the health and care system. That recognition matters, it’s a positive step towards making sure our voices are heard and our role is visible. At the same time, we need to be realistic that these changes may also bring added pressure, as more responsibility could shift onto us.

So what can we do now, while the plan is still being rolled out? A good first step is simply to stay informed. Understanding the changes as they happen means we can better prepare, ask the right questions to our healthcare provider, and spot opportunities for support. The Change NHS blog is a helpful place to follow along with the latest developments and hear more about how the plan is being put into action.

We might also choose to take one small step this week. That could mean registering as a carer with your GP so you’re on their radar, reading up on carer's rights and the law, or joining the Mobilise Hub to connect with other carers who are navigating the same shifts.

Small actions like these can help us feel more grounded and less alone in the face of change.

Most importantly, it’s worth remembering that change doesn’t happen overnight. The future of the NHS is being shaped right now, and our experiences are an important part of that. By sharing our stories in conversations with professionals, in peer-support spaces, or through national campaigns, we can help build a healthcare system that works not just for the people we care for, but for us too.