The finalised 2025/26 operating plan position and next steps have been published as part of NHS England’s latest board meeting, with boards highlighting the “level of challenge that will be involved in delivering this financial plan alongside operational performance ambitions”.
The publication of the 10 Year Health Plan and the outcome of the Spending Review 2025 will provide further insight for medium-term planning for 2026/27, it states.
Plan system efficiencies average 7.1 percent, supported by reductions in temporary staffing and corporate costs, the update notes, with total workforce to be reduced by 2 percent and agency use to be reduced by 40 percent by March 2026. Regional teams will continue to work with ICBs and trusts, whilst specific support needs identified during the planning process will inform the deployment of NHSE improvement resources.
For elective care and cancer, the update states that the percentage of patients waiting no longer than 18 weeks for treatment will be improved to 65 percent, and cancer 62 day and faster diagnosis standard targets of 75 percent and 80 percent will be met by March 2026.
In urgent and emergency care, “all but one” system are planning to meet the target of 78 percent of patients being admitted, discharged, and transferred from emergency departments within 4 hours in March 2026. Plans also support the delivery of an additional 700,000 urgent dental appointments, the reduction of average length of stay in adult acute mental health beds, and the reduction of reliance on mental health inpatient care for people with a learning disability and people with autism by a minimum of 10 percent.
Of the twelve systems identified as potentially benefitting the most from targeted support at the beginning of the planning process, the update shares that all have submitted “a balanced financial position”, nine are planning to meet their 18-week target and all but one planning to meet the 4-hour A&E target.
Transformation across health and care
NHS England published its 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance at the beginning of the year, with a focus on local prioritisation and planning, reducing wait times, improving access and patient flow.
For a recent HTN Now panel discussion, we were joined by a panel of experts from across the health sector to discuss how general practice, PCNs, and ICBs can utilise data and leverage technology to support operational efficiencies and improvements across primary care. Panellists included Kathryn Salt, assistant director of primary & community care, data and analytics for the Transformation Directorate, NHS England; Dr Shanker Vijayadeva, GP lead, digital transformation for the London region at NHS England; Dr Sheikh Mateen Ellahi, GP and practice partner at ELM Tree Surgery and South Stockton Primary Care Network; and Max Gattlin, digital consultant at X-on Health.
HTN Now panel discussions have also featured input from key stakeholders and experts from across the health sector, exploring how to translate the findings from Lord Darzi’s report into action, with a focus on the need to offer patients more responsibility in managing their own care and achieving a level of visibility for information across ICSs and regions. An EHR-specific panel discussion considered the best way of achieving a balance between customisation, compliance and scalability, outlining challenges such as cost and the management of complex data flows. And an expert panel also recently joined us to debate the role of digital in supporting NHS reform, looking at examples and best practice around modernising services, shifting from hospital to community, and supporting the move from reactive to proactive care.
