The NHS is facing an "existential" crisis and needs reform to deliver better standards for patients, Wes Streeting has said.
His remarks came after the biggest day of strike action in the Royal College of Nursing's 106-year history and as the health service faces a record backlog.
He said: "I am not going to pretend that the NHS is the envy of the world, or that it is currently delivering a standard of care that patients should be satisfied with.
"Patients know it’s not true, and NHS staff know it’s not true."
He also urged Rishi Sunak to hold face-to-face talks with nurses at "breaking point" over pay to avert further strikes.
He said a Labour Government would discuss pay with the nurses - but wouldn't be able to offer inflation plus 5% and declined to give any figure.
Labour is "anxious not to make promises we can't keep," not knowing what the public finances and inflation will look like in two years, he added.
"I'm not going to make a commitment today about precisely where Labour would set pay.
"But I do understand why the nurses feel the way they do. I think it is the most reasonable request in the world to say to a government 'we'll suspend our strike action if you're just prepared to sit down and talk and seriously negotiate on pay."
In a speech at the conservative think-tank Policy Exchange, he said a Labour Government would give the NHS the investment and staffing it "deserves".
He cited the party's plans - announced at the autumn conference - to deliver 7,500 more doctors a year by doubling medical school places and 10,000 more nurses and midwives every year.
The Shadow Health Secretary said the party will pay for the policy by abolishing the non-dom tax status - once held by Rishi Sunak's wife - that allows wealthy UK residents not to pay tax on overseas income.
While he described the NHS as "Britain's greatest achievement", the Labour frontbencher added: "I do believe the crisis is existential for the NHS".
He said staff are "slogging their guts out", but said it was clear to anyone using the health service that it is "failing patients on a daily basis".
He added: The way our NHS works must change and modernise, so it focuses more on prevention, early intervention, better use of technology, and faster, more effective treatment,"
"We have to shift the focus of healthcare out of the hospital and into the community, providing better care for the patient and better value for the taxpayer."
"This was true before the Conservatives crashed the economy, but there is no option now but for reform to do more of the heavy lifting in fixing the NHS."
Mr Streeting said Labour would set out more plans in 2023.
He also launched a report Policy Exchange setting out a plan to double the number of medical school places to 15,000 by the end of the decade.
The report claims it would result in 45,000 more doctors in the crisis-hit NHS by 2040 - bringing the UK to the OECD average.
It suggests the move would cost the Government around £1.2billion between 2024 to 2029 but would eventually "pay for itself" in the long-term.
It adds: "Whilst there is a clear and foreseeable route to increase medical places by 2000 – 3000 places, building on the previous expansion round, to double places – creating an additional 7,500 places within five years – requires imagination and more far-reaching innovation.
"It will be challenging and is not without risk, but it is achievable if the will and determination are there".
