Health and care sector latest developments
Public health minister pledges action on cancer inequality
Public health minister Ashley Dalton has released a statement on the forthcoming National Cancer Plan, aimed at reversing stalled progress and tackling deep inequalities in cancer care across England.
She said that although survival rates have improved, “progress has slowed over the last decade” and warned that “working class communities are being failed most of all”.
Dalton said that the government will work to end wide regional differences in services so that “where people live should not determine whether they get high-quality treatment”, with measures including more training places in rural and coastal areas, greater transparency in performance data and equal access to “cutting-edge early cancer detection technologies”.
New analysis shows the extent of child community care waits
New analysis has shown that tens of thousands of children are waiting over a year for NHS community care services.
The analysis, reported by the BBC, found that a quarter of children on waiting lists for community care, including hearing services and disability support, have been waiting for more than 12 months.
Health leaders have warned of the dangers of delayed support, with Dr Ronny Cheung from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, saying that many "treatments need to be given by a specific age or developmental stage to prevent long-lasting complications, and for many children these long waits mean we miss crucial chances to intervene in time."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said they were taking "firm action" on tackling waiting lists, highlighting plans for greater investment in community care under the 10 Year Health Plan.
Providers ‘extending waiting times due to staffing cuts’
Eight in ten NHS physiotherapists have reported they do not have enough staff to meet demand, up by 10 percentage points since 2024.
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy survey, carried out in October and the results shared with HSJ, also found 65 per cent of respondents said their service was subject to a recruitment freeze, an increase from 58 per cent in July 2024.
The 1,100 members surveyed also said temporary roles were not being renewed, and that many services no longer cover maternity leave.
The proportion of NHS members concerned about staffing levels being insufficient to meet patient needs grew from just under 70 per cent in the first quarter of 2024 to 80 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2025. The level was lower among non-NHS-employed physios.
NHS England tech chief moves to government role
NHS England’s chief technology officer, Sonia Patel will step down in March to take up a 12-month interim post as government chief technology officer, where she will lead work on developing a national digital ID system.
As HSJ notes, she will coordinate with technology leaders across government to ensure the digital ID programme is secure, resilient and aligned with government ambitions.
Following her departure, NHS England’s technology strategy, architecture and standards team will report to Matt Philpot, while Patel is confident its digital workforce would continue delivering improvements in health and care.
Bowel cancer test to be made more accurate
The main test for bowel cancer is set to be made more accurate. The Guardian reports that the sensitivity of the faecal immunochemical test (FIT) will be increased, a change which NHS leaders hope will save hundreds of lives.
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England's national clinical director for cancer, said the move will "provide a better early warning system for bowel cancer, helping us to spot and treat cancers earlier, often picking up problems before symptoms occur."
