The state of health and social care in 2026
Today, Healthwatch England published a new report on the public's experiences of health and social care.
This new report aims to show what care feels like for the people using it, and make recommendations to fix what isn’t working. With Healthwatch due to close, it’s essential that those who take over our work continue to value the public's voice and act on the issues they raise.
29% of people are still not confident they can access timely care from most key services we asked about, such as A&E, GPs, dentists and hospitals.
The top five cross-cutting themes identified are :
- Access issues remain widespread.
- Inequalities in care persist.
- Waiting for care takes a toll on wellbeing.
- Digital transformation brings both opportunities and risks.
- Administrative and communication failures undermine care quality.
Click here for more further information including how to download the full report