Leaders’ Policy Briefing: Key updates

England and Wales

Launch of a call for evidence on Carer’s Allowance Reform

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has launched a call for evidence on the future reform of Carer’s Allowance. The consultation is seeking views from carers, representative organisations, charities, people with lived experience and other stakeholders on how the benefit can better reflect modern patterns of work, caring responsibilities and financial pressures.

Particular attention is also being given to the operation of current earnings rules, including whether an earnings taper should be introduced to allow carers to increase their paid work without suddenly losing access to support.

The government has stated that responses will help shape future policy development and build on recent reforms, including the increase to the weekly earnings limit. The consultation closes on 18 August 2026.

More information, including ways to respond can be found here.

England

New policy report: ‘Home first, except when it matters most: How NHS commissioning is denying precious moments at home for families of children with serious illness – and undermines the shift from hospital to the community’.

In mid-August we will be publishing our new report, ‘Home first, except when it matters most: How NHS commissioning is denying precious moments at home for families of children with serious illness – and undermines the shift from hospital to the community’.

The report examines whether Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) can evidence that they are commissioning children’s palliative care services in line with NICE quality standards. Drawing on responses to a series of Freedom of Information requests, the findings paint a concerning picture of continued variation in access to children’s palliative care across England.

Key findings include:

• Despite clear legal duties and national guidance, commissioning arrangements remain highly inconsistent between areas.
• Access to commissioned 24/7 end of life care at home continues to be subject to a postcode lottery, despite improvements in some areas over the last year.
• Only 31% of ICBs were able to provide evidence that they commission 24/7 end of life care at home for children, while 36% could not provide evidence that they commission this support at all.
• Nearly half of ICBs were unable to provide service specifications or equivalent documentation to support what they reported they commission, raising concerns about transparency and accountability.
• Funding pressures are threatening the future of Managed Clinical Networks, despite their important role in coordinating services, reducing fragmentation and driving quality improvement.

The report calls on policymakers and NHS leaders to take decisive action to end the postcode lottery in children’s palliative care and ensure all families have equitable access to high-quality care close to home.

Consultation on proposed Multi-Neighbourhood Provider (MNP) and Single Neighbourhood Provider (SNP) contracting models launched

NHS England has launched a consultation on two proposed contracting models designed to support the delivery of neighbourhood health services as set out in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan.

The proposed Multi-Neighbourhood Provider (MNP) and Single Neighbourhood Provider (SNP) contracts are intended to provide a simplified framework for commissioning health and care services across local populations, helping to integrate care and support delivery closer to people’s homes and communities.

The consultation seeks views on:

•    How these contracts would operate in practice
•    Their relationship with existing NHS contractual arrangements
• The potential benefits and risks associated with their implementation

NHS England is seeking views from integrated care boards, primary care, community providers, local authorities, patient groups and the wider public. It has said that responses will shape further development of the models and inform a second consultation later this year.

The consultation is open until 10 September 2026. You can respond to the consultation here. More information is available here.

Quality strategy for NHS-funded care in England published

NHS England has published a new Quality Strategy for NHS-funded care, setting out a ten-year vision for improving outcomes and embedding quality as the organising principle of the health service.

Aligning closely with the ambitions of the 10-Year Health Plan, the strategy establishes a common framework centred on three domains of quality: safety, effectiveness and patient experience. In doing so, it aims to improve outcomes, reduce unwarranted variation, tackle inequalities and increase public confidence in NHS-funded services.

A key feature of the strategy is the introduction of Modern Service Frameworks (MSFs), which are said to become a major mechanism for improving outcomes in areas where there are persistent gaps in quality, significant variation in care and opportunities for measurable improvement.

With a framework for all-age palliative and end of life care already announced, the strategy reaffirms that each framework will:

• Set a long-term outcome ambition or ‘moonshot’
• Identify the interventions most likely to improve outcomes
• Describe how those interventions should be adopted consistently across the NHS
• Outline opportunities for innovation over the coming decade

They will also be used to address variation in care, support earlier diagnosis and intervention, and make better use of data, digital tools and service redesign.

Importantly, NHS England states that the frameworks will not simply restate existing guidance but instead focus on the areas where achieving greater consistency and improvement could deliver the greatest benefit for patients.

The full Quality Strategy is available here.

Final report of the national maternity and neonatal investigation published

Baroness Amos has published the final report of the national investigation into maternity and neonatal care. The investigation examines why avoidable harm and deaths still occur in maternity and neonatal care in England despite many previous reviews—and sets out system-wide reforms to fix this.

Some of the key headline findings include:

• The concerns of women, birthing people and families are often dismissed or not taken seriously, contributing to unsafe care.
• Racism and inequality are embedded in the system, affecting outcomes and experiences.
• Care varies widely depending on where people live and who they are.
• Services are poorly joined up, with gaps between antenatal, birth and postnatal care.

In addition, the investigation found problems across leadership, staffing, and infrastructure, with a culture where staff feel unable to speak up and families struggle to get answers when things go wrong. Crucially, it says these issues are not new as hundreds of recommendations have already been made but failed to deliver lasting change.

To this end, the report sets out eight major reforms aimed at reshaping the system, including:

1. Creating a national Maternity and Neonatal Commissioner to drive change.
2. Systematically listening to the voices of women, birthing people and families.
3. Improving how the system responds and learns when something goes wrong.
4. Creating a Modern Service Framework to set out national standards to consistently achieve high-quality maternity and neonatal care.
5. Tackling racism, discrimination and inequality.
6. Improving system governance and accountability structures and regulatory oversight.
7. Improving culture and teamworking, and strengthening leadership at all levels of the system and across professions.
8. Delivering estates and digital systems that are fit for modern maternity and neonatal care.

Some areas are highlighted for immediate attention, particularly maternity triage, which the report describes as a critical safety gap where early warning signs are sometimes missed. There are also calls to review the legal compensation system and consider changes to coroners’ roles in investigating stillbirths.

You can read the full report here.

National newborn screening programme for SMA being rolled out across England

The Government and NHS England have announced that all babies born in England will be screened for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) through the national newborn blood spot screening programme.

The new screening programme will enable clinicians to identify babies with the condition before symptoms emerge, allowing treatment to begin at the earliest possible stage. This is in line with evidence that suggests earlier diagnosis can dramatically improve long-term health outcomes, helping children avoid irreversible damage and access life-changing treatment more quickly.

The programme will begin in autumn 2026, with laboratory testing commencing from October, ahead of schedule. It forms part of a national evaluation programme supported by £4.1 million of research funding and delivered in partnership with the University of Oxford.

EOTAS consultation launched in England

The Department for Education has opened a consultation on Education Otherwise Than At School (EOTAS) arrangements as part of wider SEND reforms. The consultation seeks views on how best to support children whose needs cannot be met in traditional school or college settings.

The consultation proposes a range of measures designed to improve oversight, quality and consistency. These include earlier intervention to prevent placement breakdowns, stronger quality standards for providers, closer links to named schools or colleges and improved arrangements for children unable to attend school because of physical or mental health needs.

With the consultation open until 18 September 2026, the government has stressed that no decisions have yet been made and that any changes would not come into effect before 2029/30.

You can respond to the consultation here.

Together We Campaign

Unpaid carers action plan: recognise, refer, reach

The government has published a new cross-government Unpaid Carers Action Plan, built around three themes: Recognise, Refer and Reach. The strategy aims to improve how carers are identified, signposted to support and enabled to participate fully in education, employment and community life. Recognising that unpaid carers provide vital support across health and social care systems, the plan brings together commitments from multiple government departments and seeks to improve coordination of support.

Key measures include introducing a new “MyCarer” function within the NHS App, promoting wider use of Carer Passports, improving information and advice services, strengthening support for young carers and developing a carers’ charter. The Government has also committed to improving access to employment support, increasing recognition of carers within health services and modernising Carer’s Allowance.

You can read the full Action Plan here.

Northern Ireland

Department of Health Launches Revised Mental Health Order Code of Practice

The Northern Ireland Department of Health has published a revised Code of Practice for the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986. The revised Code has been developed through extensive consultation and co-production involving people with lived experience, carers, healthcare professionals, advocacy organisations and public bodies. It aims to ensure the application of mental health legislation reflects modern clinical practice, human rights standards and contemporary expectations of person-centred care.

For the first time, the guidance includes dedicated sections for Health and Social Care Trusts, the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, strengthening expectations around multi-agency working and decision-making. The Code also incorporates lessons learned from the Cawdery Inquest and seeks to improve accountability, consistency and safeguards for people experiencing mental ill health.

It will come into force on 1 September 2026, giving organisations time to prepare for implementation and staff training.

You can read the revised Code of Practice here.

Wales

Welsh Government to develop national cancer strategy

The Welsh Government has announced plans to develop Wales’ first long-term National Cancer Strategy, creating a comprehensive framework for improving cancer services and outcomes across the nation.

The strategy is expected to take a whole-pathway approach, encompassing prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, research, survivorship and end of life care. It follows growing calls from clinicians, charities and patients for a more strategic and coordinated approach to cancer policy in Wales.

The forthcoming work is expected to focus on improving accountability, workforce planning, service quality, data collection and the reduction of inequalities in cancer outcomes. The government has said there will also be opportunities for patients, professionals and third-sector organisations to help shape the development of the strategy.

Together We Campaign

Open letter to Minister Kinnock on Modern Service Framework overarching goal

Together for Short Lives has written to Care Minister Stephen Kinnock MP, alongside other organisations from across the sector, highlighting the importance of explicitly including babies, children and young people in the overarching goal of the Palliative and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF).

In the letter, we have welcomed the government’s engagement with the sector and its commitment to considering the needs of babies, children and young people. We have also highlighted that children’s palliative care services are distinct from adult provision, and that clear recognition in the framework is essential to ensure local systems plan and commission services that meet the needs of children, young people and their families.

We have urged the government to make its all-age approach explicit throughout the framework and supporting guidance, helping to address longstanding inequalities in access to children’s palliative care.