10 highlights from the Health Foundation’s work in 2025
About 6 mins
2025 has been a year of change in health policy, with Labour’s first year in office resulting in some significant developments in health and care. We look back over the past year, picking out 10 highlights and key achievements from our work in 2025.
1. Responding to the 10-Year Health Plan
In July 2025, the government published its 10-Year Health Plan for England, marking a pivotal moment for the NHS. The plan includes a huge number of proposals to reform care with the aim of delivering three ‘radical shifts’: hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention.
Our analysis, Dazed and confused?, set out our view of the plan – that it’s moving things in the right direction but presents as a collection of different ideas, which could pull the health system in different directions, rather than a cohesive blueprint for improving the health service.
We’ve brought together all our analysis and commentary in response to the 10-year plan, with key reading about each of the three shifts.
2. Assessing Labour’s performance on health and care
In September, we reflected on Labour’s first year in office, publishing analysis on the government’s progress to meet its waiting times pledge, and our report on Labour’s first year.
The report assessed the policies introduced by the government during its first year in power. It concluded that although Labour has increased spending and proposed some far-reaching reforms to health and care services, it is some way from having a coherent policy agenda, while its health mission has not materialised.
More positively, our analysis showed that the government may get close to delivering its headline target to reduce waiting times.
3. Boosting productivity in the NHS
At a time of stretched public finances and rising demand for care, finding ways to increase NHS productivity has never been more critical. That’s why in May we launched our NHS Productivity Commission, led jointly by Anita Charlesworth and Tera Allas.
The Commission will provide evidence and solutions to help policymakers boost NHS productivity over the next decade, culminating in a final report in autumn 2026.
Following an initial call for evidence, we are gathering a wide range of views on the challenges around NHS productivity and opportunities to improve it. The Commission also recently published its first report, From diagnosis to delivery, which set out a framework for action.
Sign up for updates on the NHS Productivity Commission
4. Convening international learning on AI
Harnessing technology to improve productivity and efficiency across health and care is at the heart of the government’s 10-year plan.
Our AI in the NHS 2025 summit in October brought together international perspectives on how to capitalise on AI in health care and navigate the challenges of effectively and responsibly implementing it.
A number of high-profile speakers and international experts explored our ability to evaluate new uses of AI, determine whether they are safe and effective and understand what will matter for adopting them at scale.
Watch sessions from the summit
5. Investigating the cost of digitising health and care
In May we published new analysis projecting the cost of digitising the NHS and social care over the next 5 years, having commissioned PA Consulting to assess the investment needed to achieve existing ambitions.
This research found that investment of around £21bn would be needed in the UK over the next 5 years alone. It also showed that direct financial investment in technology and infrastructure is only part of the story. It needs to be accompanied by investment in implementation and ongoing support for training, maintenance and optimisation.
This work was used by the Treasury to inform the Spending Review and the 10-Year Health Plan.
6. Strengthening NHS leadership and management capability
We continued our work to support and develop NHS management capability this year, with a programme of key events, research and analysis.
A webinar in November explored the role of management in leading and supporting innovation and improvement, sharing emerging research on the management capacity of seven NHS trusts in England. Another piece of analysis explored the central role NHS groups can play in driving improvements to NHS productivity, emergency and elective care. We also reflected on historical changes to the role and structure of NHS management in a briefing published following government’s decision to abolish NHS England.
Explore our work on leadership and management
7. Bringing together vital evidence on health inequalities
Good health is essential, but not everyone has the same opportunities to live a healthy life. Research has shown that differences in social and economic circumstances lead to deep inequalities in health outcomes.
This year, we’ve continued to bring together important evidence to support work to improve health and reduce inequalities in the UK. Our Evidence hub: What drives health inequalities? relaunched this month following redevelopment, making it easier for users to access and explore the wealth of data, insight and analysis about how the circumstances in which we live shape our health.
Explore the relaunched Evidence hub
8. Influencing a more preventative approach to workplace health
In March we published the final report from our independent Commission for Healthier Working Lives, established by the Health Foundation to build a consensus for the action needed by government and employers to support people with health conditions to stay in work.
The report concluded that workplace strategies focused on prevention, early intervention, retention and rapid rehabilitation are likely to deliver more effective and sustainable health outcomes over time.
The work of the Commission was well received by government, influencing the independent Keep Britain Working Review, led by Sir Charlie Mayfield, with our vision for a more preventative approach to improving workplace health solidly reflected in the review’s final report.
Find out more about the work of the Commission
9. Supporting the call for action to #MakeHealthEqual
It’s been a significant year of connection, momentum and growth for Health Equals, the campaign supported by the Health Foundation. The coalition started 2025 with 47 members. By the end of the year that had more than doubled to 105.
As Ruth Lowe, Policy and Engagement Manager at Health Equals wrote recently, ‘If this is what just over a year looks like, the potential for the next year is enormous. Together, we’re shaping a movement that is finally giving health inequality the cross-government, cross-sector, cross-party attention it demands.’
Its latest campaign, Hazmat Loungewear, is highlighting that 1 in 4 of us live in homes that could make us ill because of issues like damp, cold and mould, and calls for action to #MakeHealthEqual.
10. Ensuring the public’s views about health and care are heard
We’ve continued our programme of polling this year, working in partnership with Ipsos to regularly survey public attitudes to health and care. We published detailed findings from our eighth wave of public polling in September.
This fuelled our work at the Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative party conferences, where we held joint panel events with Ipsos to explore public priorities on health and care, with experts unpicking what the results could mean for the main parties.
With 4 years remaining until the next general election, our latest polling highlights just how important progress on the NHS is to the UK public and how it could be pivotal in shaping future political fortunes. We’ll continue to meet with MPs and key stakeholders to talk through the findings in detail and ensure that the public’s concerns are heard.