Health Secretary unveils high-tech NHS overhaul
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has announced a radical overhaul of the NHS, placing robotic surgery and artificial intelligence at the heart of a 10-year plan aimed at modernising the health service and boosting productivity.
The plan, due to be published next week, will prioritise robot-assisted surgeries and AI-driven technologies, with hospitals financially penalised if they fail to adopt new systems. Streeting described the shake-up as essential to saving the NHS from financial collapse.
Robots to perform one in eight operations
Currently just one in 60 elective surgeries in the NHS are robot-assisted. Under Streeting’s vision, that figure will rise to one in eight over the next decade. The plan will encourage wider use of robotic procedures in areas including urology, cardiothoracic surgery, gynaecology and trauma.
Streeting told the Financial Times: “The revolution in medical technology, including pioneering robotics, gives me the most excitement about what the NHS could be.”
The increased use of robotic surgery, he argued, will cut recovery times and ease pressure on hospitals.
Hospitals to be paid less for outdated practices
To incentivise change, the government will expand the use of “best practice tariffs” starting in 2026. Hospitals that stick with outdated surgical methods will receive less funding.
“It’s not acceptable that some hospitals deliver poorer care at worse value,” said Streeting.
However, health leaders have raised concerns about the practicality of widespread robotics adoption.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said trusts need upfront capital investment to access advanced technology.
“Without it, they risk falling further behind and being penalised financially,” he warned.
AI to transform doctor workflows
The 10-year strategy also backs the rollout of ambient voice technology (AVT), AI tools that auto-generate clinical notes, summaries and transcripts from patient interactions. Streeting claimed AVT could boost doctor productivity by up to 20%.
Yet some NHS digital leaders have sounded the alarm over unapproved AVT products already in use. Streeting stressed the need for clinicians to use only licensed systems, pledging to reinforce standards across the NHS.
New workforce plan on the way
Streeting’s NHS vision will be followed by a new workforce strategy in the autumn. He said the previous plan, drafted before the rise of tools like ChatGPT, was already outdated.
The upcoming strategy will factor in the expected impact of tech reforms.
Streeting asked: “What workforce do we need, what should they do, where should they be deployed and what skills do they need?”
A test for Labour’s health credibility
The success of the plan is likely to become a key measure of the Labour government’s performance, especially as Reform UK continues to poll strongly.
Streeting acknowledged the NHS was in “real jeopardy” adding: “If we don’t make it sustainable, it will go bust.”
With the West Midlands already home to pioneering hospitals like Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the region could be a frontrunner in adopting NHS robotic surgery. But achieving nationwide transformation will depend on whether funding, training and infrastructure keep pace with the ambition.
