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New Hospital Programme timetable slips again as trusts wait on capital allocations Virtual wards settle into the model that suits them Electronic patient record rollouts hit contract friction in three regions Pharmacy first referrals rise as general practice reroutes demand Nursing vacancies fall but agency spend stays stubbornly high Mental health trusts warn on out of area placements Integrated care boards asked to find further running cost reductions Medicines shortages prompt fresh look at UK manufacturing Community diagnostic centres shift the balance of elective recovery Data sharing agreements slow AI deployment in imaging New Hospital Programme timetable slips again as trusts wait on capital allocations Virtual wards settle into the model that suits them Electronic patient record rollouts hit contract friction in three regions Pharmacy first referrals rise as general practice reroutes demand Nursing vacancies fall but agency spend stays stubbornly high Mental health trusts warn on out of area placements Integrated care boards asked to find further running cost reductions Medicines shortages prompt fresh look at UK manufacturing Community diagnostic centres shift the balance of elective recovery Data sharing agreements slow AI deployment in imaging

Sector

Innovation

Adoption of new models of care and health innovation funding.

Clinician reviewing patient monitoring information on a screen

Virtual wards settle into the model that suits them

After rapid expansion, providers are narrowing virtual ward use to the conditions where the evidence is strongest.

Dr Helen Cartwright30 August 2026