Nearly two-thirds of NHS organisations anticipate cutting or reducing services this year, with more than half also expecting to slash jobs, a new survey reveals. The poll, carried out by the NHS Alliance, surveyed 187 leaders of NHS trusts and integrated care boards (ICBs). It found that 64 per cent expect service cuts and 57 per cent anticipate reducing clinical staff this year. Three-quarters (75 per cent) believe financial pressures will worsen in 2026/27.
The NHS Alliance said that the health service’s “hard-won gains” are “now at risk”. Meanwhile, 64 per cent expressed concerns about patient experience and more than eight in 10 (83 per cent) said they worried about the impact of financial measures on planned care. More than nine in 10 (93 per cent) said they worried about staff morale.
Another poll of GP leaders, which included 48 responses, found almost all (96 per cent) were concerned about the impact of financial measures on day-to-day access. For the new report, NHS Alliance also carried out 65 interviews with trust finance directors in the last year. One trust chief executive said: “The overriding focus on finance at the expense of patients and particularly staff will have repercussions.”
NHS Alliance chief executive Sir Ciaran Devane said: “In the last year the NHS has pulled off a remarkable double – improving performance at a time of growing demand, and balancing budgets in the face of relentless and often unpredictable pressures such as strike action. But our survey and interviews also show that the focus on targets and delivering record efficiency savings have come at a cost, with many hard-won gains now at risk.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We recognise the challenges NHS leaders face, but this government has supported the health service with record investment, boosted productivity, and driven improvements in tech. Waiting lists are at their lowest level in more than three years, and over half a million fewer people are waiting for treatment since July 2024.”
