Health and care sector latest developments
Public express support for NHS App, but remains cautious about AI
New polling by the Health Foundation has shown that the public is supportive of the NHS App, but remains cautious about AI in healthcare.
The research found that around three-quarters of the public are happy using the App to book appointments, choose a preferred hospital, and access information about procedures.
However, only 49 per cent said they would use the proposed AI-powered ‘Doctor in Your Pocket’, with 32 per cent saying they would not use this tech.
Overall, those polled were generally positive about technology in healthcare.
Matthew Taylor, interim chief executive of the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, said that “to fully unlock the benefits of technology, AI advances must run alongside the government further freeing up private sector capital investment into the NHS, including to help fund core NHS digital and IT infrastructure to build trust through strong data governance and cyber security”.
NHS introduces formal corridor care definition
NHS England has published a standard definition of corridor care to ensure consistent reporting across hospitals.
Patients treated for more than 45 minutes in clinically inappropriate spaces in emergency departments or on general wards must now be formally recorded, based on safety, privacy and dignity criteria, with daily data collection required.
The Royal College of Nursing said that the definition “will move us closer to determining the scale of this crisis”, but warned that “truly eradicating corridor care requires bigger and bolder long-term action” backed by significant investment and workforce expansion.
MPs urge the government to prioritise women's health
A group of MPs has warned that women's health is not being sufficiently prioritised in the government's NHS reforms.
A report from the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) into reproductive health argues that systemic change is needed not only in the health service, but also in the education system and online communications.
While the committee welcomed the introduction of a requirement to teach menstrual and gynaecological health, it urged ministers to set out a clear implementation plan and also criticised the 'under-resourced' school nurse system.
Among several recommendations made about healthcare specifically, the WEC emphasised the importance of women's health hubs, arguing it would be 'self-defeating' for them not to be properly funded.
Committee chair, Sarah Owen MP, said that the “imminent renewal of the Women's Health Strategy for England presents an opportunity for tangible change for girls and women”, warning that a “strategy which does not address the concerns set out in this report will be inadequate”.
Funding announced for the NHS to deliver commercial research
The government has announced new funding to help the NHS deliver commercial research.
The funding, worth £47.8 million and coming through the NIHR, will be awarded to trusts and primary care organisations to pay for new equipment, building refurbishments and modular buildings.
The hope is that the funding will allow the NHS to expand its commercial clinical trials capacity, thereby improving access to new medicines.
Maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust still require improvement
Unannounced Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections carried out last May at found that maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust delivered a ‘requires improvement’ rating – the same as when they were inspected the previous year.
Maternity services at the trust, which said it said it “remains committed to continued improvement in its maternity services” are the subject of the largest inquiry of its kind in NHS history, with about 2,500 cases being examined.
Software firm drops challenge to trust’s £70 million IT contract
Canadian firm, Altera, has dropped its legal challenge against Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust’s (LUHFT) £70 million electronic patient record purchase.
The software company had issued legal proceedings against the trust last summer after the trust selected a rival firm as its preferred provider, arguing it was excluded from LUHFT’s selection process ahead of the evaluation stage.
Neither party has commented on the dropping of the legal challenge
‘Drastic action’ needed on child obesity
New figures from the World Obesity Federation suggest that by 2040, about 227 million of all five- to 19-year-olds will have obesity and more than half a billion will be overweight.
According to the federation’s 2026 world obesity atlas, that would mean that at least 120 million school-age children would have early signs of chronic disease caused by their high body mass index (BMI).
In the UK, about 3.8 million children have high BMI, making it among the worst performing countries in Europe, with around twice the numbers of overweight and obese children as in France and Italy.
‘No overarching long-term national plan’ for mental health
Claire Murdoch, who was NHS England’s mental health and learning disabilities lead until she resigned last September, has said that the mental health sector feels “abandoned”, with no long-term plan and its “share of spend falling like a stone”.
She added that leaders in the sector were “geared up wanting to go further, faster”, but were being held back as “there is no overarching long-term national plan”.
She also said the service was being “overshadowed” by the current weight put by government and NHS England leadership on “electives, A&E and money”.
Ms Murdoch is currently chief executive of Central and North West London Foundation Trust.
Two more trusts in £178 million deficit system facing NHS England action
NHS England has served enforcement action on Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust and Wirral University Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust.
Both trusts are in Cheshire and Merseyside ICB where five of the seven general acute providers are now subject to enforcement action over their financial performance.
The system has one of the largest deficit plans in the country, at £178 million this year. NHS England has withheld £133 million deficit support from the system this year, much more than any other patch, as a penalty for it missing financial targets.
Trans Lives 2025 report reveals major barriers to accessing healthcare for trans people
A new report has revealed major barriers to accessing healthcare for trans people.
Trans Lives 2025: Continuing To Endure The Hostile Environment revealed that 64 per cent of 4,000 trans people who responded to the survey which informed the report had avoided going to the GP, even if unwell.
Meanwhile, 42 per cent said that they had avoided accessing dental care, and 37 per cent said that they had avoided going to A&E when needing emergency care.
NHS Employers appoints new director of pay, reward and employment relations
Oonagh Monkhouse has been appointed director of pay, reward and employment relations at NHS Employers.
Formerly the director of workforce and organisational development at the Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Oonagh will lead national NHS employer policy on employment relations, pay, reward and contractual frameworks in line with Department of Health and Social Care mandates. She will also provide high‑quality policy, analysis and support for national negotiating bodies, including Agenda for Change, medical contracts and the NHS Pension Scheme.
