In The News: October 2026
Welcome to the first edition of our new series called In The News. Our idea for In The News is to give you a quick round up of relevant news, updates and information from the last month in the UK Healthcare space. This could be NHS news about Primary and Urgent Care, Government Updates, interesting LinkedIn posts and more.
CQC's State of Care Report 2026/27
CQC's annual State of Care report, released this month, describes health and care in England as in "fracture and flux": under real strain, with some progress, but care still depends too much on where people live and who they are.
There are more GP appointments and shorter waits for planned care, but demand is outpacing improvement. Children are hardest hit, with over 80,000 waiting more than a year for community health care. Social care is reshaping fast, as homecare fragments and care homes consolidate. Almost three-quarters of social care is rated good or outstanding, but leadership is the weakest area.
NHS Spending Broken Down
In a recent LinkedIn post, Dr. Zhong Wei Khor simplified NHS England's £190.7bn budget by showing how every £100 is spent. His breakdown highlights that almost £39 goes to acute hospital services, while general practice and community health services together receive around £15.
The post raises important questions for primary care and urgent care providers about the challenge of shifting more care into community settings. While there is broad support for preventing hospital admissions and managing more patients closer to home, achieving this requires funding and resources to follow the patient journey, not just changes in policy.
NHS Scotland Reform Plans
The Scottish Government announced plans to reform NHS Scotland by reducing the current 14 territorial health boards into two regional boards covering the east and west of Scotland. The aim is to simplify planning, reduce duplication and improve consistency of care across the country.
For primary care providers, the reforms reinforce the Scottish Government's commitment to delivering more care in community settings, improving integration between services and reducing unwarranted variation in patient access and outcomes. While there are no immediate changes for GP practices, the announcement signals a continued focus on joined-up care, regional collaboration and supporting patients closer to home.
UK Gov Urgent Care Investment
The UK Government announced a £140 million investment in urgent and emergency care services to help the NHS manage increased demand over the winter period. They say the funding will be invested into 14 new urgent care schemes in a bid to improve patient flow, reduce pressure on emergency departments, and help patients access timely care through urgent treatment centres and community-based services.
The announcement demonstrates a continued national commitment to strengthening urgent and emergency care services ahead of winter. While the funding is not specifically allocated to OneMedical Group services, it reinforces the important role that walk-in centres and urgent care centres play in helping patients access timely treatment and reducing demand on hospital emergency departments.
Eligibility Expanded to Homeless for Pneumococcal and Flu Vaccines
The Government expanded eligibility for the pneumococcal and flu vaccine to include people experiencing homelessness, recognising their increased risk of serious pneumococcal disease. The change aims to improve access to preventative healthcare for a vulnerable population and reduce avoidable illness and hospital admissions.
For primary care teams, this highlights the continued focus on tackling health inequalities through vaccination programmes. Practices and outreach services may need to identify eligible patients who are experiencing homelessness and support access to vaccination through flexible and inclusive approaches.
NHS App rolls out prescription collection alerts
NHS England introduced new prescription-ready alerts through the NHS App, allowing patients to receive notifications on their smartphone or smartwatch when their medication is ready to collect. The development follows the success of prescription tracking features already used by millions of patients and aims to improve convenience, reduce unnecessary queries, and support more efficient prescription collection.