How Japan could shape the future of the NHS

The health secretary is taking inspiration from Japan in his bid to change how Britons are treated by the NHS.

Wes Streeting has said he’s interested in the idea of “health MOTs” for Britain’s older citizens, evoking how the Asian island nation relies on personalised medical plans for its ageing population.

Japan combines genomics and AI machine learning to offer hyper-bespoke programmes for individuals, helping to predict and prevent illnesses before they really take hold.

Mr Streeting said such an approach could be a “game-changer” in the UK, as he prepares to publish his 10-year plan for the health service later in 2025.

He has repeatedly spoken about his desire to move more of the NHS’s work out of hospitals and into local communities, focusing more on preventative care than more expensive and invasive emergency treatment.

Last year, NHS England – which is due to be scrapped – announced patients over 65 or those with frailty-related conditions would be given health MOTs outside emergency departments to avoid unnecessary admissions.

The tests checked for blood pressure, heart health and mobility.

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‘A lot of opportunity’

Speaking to The Telegraph, the minister said Japan was an “interesting” case study to follow because it’s got a “very significant ageing society”.

Japan’s population has been shrinking and growing older for decades as young people delay marriage and having children largely due to unstable jobs and economic difficulties.

A 2023 survey found more than 1 in 10 people in Japan were aged 80 or older for the first time.

Mr Streeting has reportedly been briefed by an ex-Japanese health official about the country’s health programmes.

He told The Telegraph while the NHS faced “enormous challenges”, he believed advances in technology – notably around artificial intelligence – offered “a lot of opportunity and hope”.

He said he hoped personalised programmes like Japan’s could eventually be offered to everyone in the UK.