NHS 10-year plan proposals explored; Regulating AI medical devices; Report reveals insular trust mindset
Setting out the benefits and risks of NHS 10-year plan
An impact statement has been published by the Department of Health and Social Care, exploring the proposed measures in the NHS 10-year plan. The statement details some of the risks and benefits in the plan's three shifts to reinvent the NHS. These are the moves from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. On digital transformation, the impact statement explains how research indicates that patients are open to the use of AI but want to retain the human element. It also highlights that not all patients will be able or willing to engage with the latest technologies. This means digital or technological exclusion could remain a barrier for some.
The plan seeks to mitigate this risk by trialling approaches to provide devices for free in areas where health need and deprivation are highest. The statement also reveals that establishing the single patient record is expected to take several years.
Read the full impact statement on the GOV.UK website here.
Views sought on AI medical devices regulation rules
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is inviting evidence and views as it considers proposals on regulating medical devices that use AI. The call for evidence asks:
- Whether the UK’s framework for regulating AI in healthcare is sufficient.
- How the framework may need to be improved to ensure fast access to safe and effective AI medical devices.
- Approaches to checking safety once AI medical devices are in use.
- How responsibility and liability are managed between different parties involved in the deployment of devices.
The MHRA is especially keen to hear from patients, the public, and charities, AI health tech companies and industry groups, and NHS and independent healthcare leaders and health and care professionals. It also welcomes views from healthcare provider organisations and professional bodies, and UK and international healthcare regulators. Other opportunities such as workshops are planned to hear directly from patients and members of the public. The deadline to complete the questionnaire is Monday 2 February 2026.
Read more and find the questionnaire on the GOV.UK website here.
Global report says 'trust brokering' can bridge divides
The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer report has revealed a global insular trust mindset, with people unwilling or hesitant to trust someone who is different from them. Economic uncertainty, unmitigated fears and pessimism have fuelled a turn inward to safety and certainty, the report says. If left unaddressed, unmitigated differences will stall workplace productivity and harden resistance to innovation, the findings warn.
The report found 7 in 10 people unwilling or hesitant to trust someone who:
- 'Lives by different core values than me'.
- 'Believes different facts and trusts different sources than I do'.
- 'Wants to address societal problems differently than I do'.
- 'Has a different culture, background, or lifestyle than mine'.
The report says trust across deep divisions can be rebuilt when institutions embrace trust brokering, focusing on engaging people where they are rather than trying to change them. The report also found that people on low incomes fear being left behind by AI, with 7 in 10 from the UK feeling this way.
Read the full report on the Edelman website here.
Have your say on Accessible Information Standard
A survey being carried out by the NHS England Accessible Information Standard (AIS) team will help assess whether the standard should be made mandatory. The Accessible Information Standard was refreshed in 2025 and aims to ensure people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss receive information in formats they can understand. The survey is collecting evidence to inform the economic considerations needed for a decision to be made on moving the current advisory standard to a mandatory standard. The NHS England team is collecting research, evaluations, reports, survey results and any other relevant data such as missed appointments or outcomes. The call for evidence closes at 5pm on Wednesday 11 February.
Find out more about the survey via MS Forms here.
Centre aims to eliminate women's health inequalities
The first Women's Health Research Centre in Wales is working to strengthen investment in women's health research and tackle an historic gender health gap. Work at the £3million centre, led by Women's Health Research Wales, includes a focus on prevention. Early-onset conditions, rare diseases and care for under-served communities will also be key priorities. Projects in development include exploring symptom reporting tools to help manage conditions such as diabetes, heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The team is also researching how chemicals in menstrual products might affect health. There are projects exploring fertility issues, including a decision-making tool for women with kidney disease who are considering whether to have children. Another project is working directly with women who are undergoing fertility treatment, investigating why this can lead to mental health issues.
Read more about the centre on the GOV.WALES website here.
Listen: Communicating with people who have disabilities
In this podcast, Tamara Huntley and Joanne Nicholson talk with Helen Osborne from Health Literacy Out Loud about how to communicate clearly and respectfully with people who have disabilities. Tamara is a social worker and advocate for people with disabilities, and was born with cerebral palsy. Joanne is a clinical and research psychologist who partners with those who bring lived experiences to each project. They speak with Helen about:
- How disabilities can include people with intellectual, physical and mental health challenges and often affect communication.
- Recommendations on ways to communicate clearly and respectfully with people who have disabilities.
- The value to everyone when partnering with people who bring lived experience whether in clinical care, research, or community settings.
Listen to the podcast via the Health Literacy Out Loud website here.
Plans for lived experience dementia video resource
People with experience of dementia are being called upon to take part in video interviews to produce a new learning resource. NHS Education for Scotland (NES) wants to developing new video recordings with people from minority ethnic backgrounds who have lived experience of dementia, or care for someone with dementia. The videos will be used in the Informed about Dementia learning resource, which is aimed at health and social care staff. Due to tight timescales, NES aim to film these interviews at the end of January/ early February in either Edinburgh or Glasgow.
Find out more on the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland website here.
Roll-out of new walk-in GP services
A pilot project will see 15 new walk-in GP centres opened thanks to a £36 million investment announced in the Scottish Budget. The network of centres are designed to make it easier for people to see GPs and other primary care clinicians quickly without an appointment. Services will focus on urgent, on-the-day primary care needs, similar to the care currently provided by GP out-of-hours services. They will be open 12pm-8pm, seven days a week. The scheme will complement existing GP practices, NHS 24, community pharmacy, and hospitals and will deliver over one million additional GP and nurse appointments, according to the Scottish Government.