NHS Hot Topics 2025/2026: NHS Hot Topics in Medicine
- The Medic Life
- Nov 17
- 11 min read
Message from the Founder -> "Welcome! I’m Dr. Bakhtar Ahmad, founder of The Medic Life and a practising UK doctor. In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to succeed when asked about NHS Hot Topics 2025/2026 in your Medicine (medical school) Interview. Let’s begin!"
PS: This expert "NHS Hot Topics 2025/2026: NHS Hot Topics in Medicine" guide from The Medic Life (experts in MMI Courses) covers what to expect, Hot Interview NHS topics, and practical tips to help you succeed. Dr. Bakhtar Ahmad, is an expert in MMI Prep! Explore The Medic Life's MMI Mocks & MMI Stations as well as MMI Role Play and MMI Courses.
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Intro -> NHS Hot Topics 2025/2026: NHS Hot Topics in Medicine
Aspiring medics should be ready to discuss the latest NHS issues - interviewers expect you to know the big challenges and innovations shaping UK healthcare. Key themes include staffing and funding pressures, rising patient demand and waiting lists, and the fallout from COVID-19.
Other important topics are public health trends (e.g. antibiotic resistance, obesity, diabetes), advances in medical technology (digital health, AI, gene therapies) and evolving ethics in patient care (assisted dying, whistleblowing, patient-centred care).
Below we break these down into clear points - each hot topic includes an example interview question to help you smash your medicine interview so you can too “Live The Medic Life”!
NHS Hot Topics -> Systemic challenges in the NHS
Staffing shortages: The NHS still has hundreds of thousands of unfilled posts. Even though the workforce has grown in recent years (doctors +22%, nurses +23% over five years to June 2025), the vacancy rate remains about 6.9%. Shortages of doctors, nurses and GPs contribute to pressure on services, burnout among staff, and delays for patients.
Interview Q: “What factors contribute to NHS staffing shortages, and how could workforce planning be improved?”.
Funding constraints: Budget pressure is an ongoing issue. Recent analysis (King’s Fund, 2024–25) notes that NHS budgets fell in real terms and hospital deficits more than doubled (from £517m to £1.4bn) despite a £22.6bn funding boost in late 2024. Rising inflation and industrial action (doctors’ strikes) have worsened cost pressures. Schools and social care funding have been flat while demand grows, forcing tough choices and use of capital funds to plug gaps.
Interview Q: “Why is funding often cited as a major problem for the NHS, and what are potential solutions?”.
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Rising demand and backlogs: Demand for care keeps increasing. The hospital waiting list reached a record 7.7 million in Sep 2023, and although it fell slightly to ~7.4 million by mid-2025, it remains far above pre-pandemic levels. Only 38.9% of A&E patients were seen within 4 hours in Sep 2025 (down from a peak of 50.4% in Dec 2022), reflecting long waits in emergency care. An ageing population and more chronic disease mean more referrals and treatments are needed.
Interview Q: “How has the NHS waiting list changed recently, and what long-term factors are driving higher demand?”.
Impact of COVID-19: The pandemic’s legacy is still felt. COVID–19 caused huge backlogs as elective procedures were postponed, and it put stress on staff and resources. It also worsened mental health and chronic disease outcomes. For example, mental health service contacts hit a record 1.5 million in June 2021 (12.4% higher than 2020) and about 1.6 million people were waiting for mental health treatment. Experts warn the pandemic “catastrophic” effect on mental health will last for years.
Interview Q: “In what ways has COVID-19 changed pressures on the NHS (e.g. in waiting lists, staff health, or long Covid cases)?”.
GP and emergency care pressures: Primary care is under strain. The number of GP surgeries in England fell by over 1,000 between 2018 and 2025 while patient numbers rose by almost 5 million. Fewer GPs and higher patient loads (average patients per GP rose from ~2,034 to 2,257 since 2017) mean longer waits for GP appointments and more strain on hospitals. In emergency care, ambulance delays and crowded A&Es remain an issue: in 2022 the average Category 2 ambulance call (e.g. suspected heart attack) took over 90 minutes (target 18 minutes).
Interview Q: “Why are GP services described as ‘crisis’ and how does that affect the rest of the NHS?”.
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NHS Hot Topics -> Major health trends and public health issues
Antibiotic resistance: This is a growing global health threat. In the UK, about 400 infections per week are now resistant to antibiotics. UK Health Security Agency data show a 9.3% rise in resistant infections in 2024 (20,484 cases total), with 2,379 deaths attributable to them (up from 2,041 in 2023). MRSA and drug-resistant E. coli are among the culprits. Experts warn that without new drugs, common infections could become deadly again.
Interview Q: “What causes antibiotic resistance, and what can the NHS do to combat it?”.
Obesity epidemic: Rates of overweight and obesity are very high. Latest NHS survey found 64% of adults were overweight or obese in 2022 (29% obese). Around 15% of children aged 2–15 were obese (similar to pre-pandemic levels). Obesity drives diabetes, heart disease, cancer and more, costing the NHS an estimated £6.5 billion per year for weight-related illness. The NHS has programs like digital weight management and diet support to help - one report found participants lost an average of 3.9 kg over 12 weeks.
Interview Q: “Why is obesity such a concern for public health, and what role should the NHS play in prevention?”.
Type 2 diabetes: Linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes rates are rising. The NHS launched a Path to Remission program offering very low-calorie meal replacements (“soups and shakes”) to eligible patients. Early results are promising: participants lost an average >10 kg, and nearly half achieved remission of their diabetes. This shows lifestyle interventions can work at scale.
Interview Q: “What innovative approaches is the NHS using to tackle type 2 diabetes?”.
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Mental health pressures: Demand for mental health services has surged. As noted above, millions of people are in contact with NHS mental health care, but the wait is long. A charity analysis found ~16,500 people waited over 18 months for mental health treatment, compared to ~2,000 for physical specialties. People waiting that long often deteriorate during the delay. Health leaders warn that without more investment, long waits and backlogs will worsen.
Interview Q: “Should mental health have the same waiting-time targets as physical health?”.
Infectious disease and vaccination: Ongoing threats include flu and other infectious diseases, especially as COVID measures relaxed. Vaccination programs remain in focus (e.g. annual flu and Covid boosters) and combating vaccine misinformation continues to be important. The NHS also closely monitors new pathogens.
Interview Q: “How does the NHS prepare for new infectious disease threats?”.
Inequalities and public health: Broad social issues also count as hot topics. COVID highlighted health inequalities (e.g. BAME communities hit harder). There is interest in public health campaigns (smoking cessation, exercise, mental health awareness, etc.). The 2025 UK Health Security Agency report shows deprived areas suffer higher rates of obesity, and even at end-of-life, poorer communities are more likely to die in hospital than in hospices.
Interview Q: “What are the main health inequalities in the UK and how could the NHS address them?”.
NHS Hot Topics -> Technology and innovation
Digital health and AI: The NHS is moving services online. For example, 6.5 million GP online consultation requests were made in September 2025 alone (a 50% jump from a year earlier), as patients use the NHS app and virtual triage more. Electronic records and apps are expanding. Artificial Intelligence is a big focus: a recent NHS pilot uses AI algorithms (with £21 million funding) to detect conditions like lung cancer from chest X-rays at 66 hospital trusts. However, integrating AI has proven complex (many sites still have not fully implemented these tools). AI promises to speed diagnosis and reduce workloads, but it raises issues of data quality, training and trust.
Interview Q: “Give an example of how AI or digital tech is changing patient care in the NHS.”.
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Gene editing and advanced therapies: Cutting-edge treatments are reaching patients. In 2024–25, the UK became one of the first health services to offer CRISPR-based gene therapies. For example, NICE approved Casgevy (exagamglogene autotemcel) for NHS use in patients (age 12+) with severe sickle cell disease and beta-thalassaemia. This one-off gene-editing treatment edits patients’ bone marrow cells so they produce healthy hemoglobin, potentially curing blood disorders. The NHS will provide this at specialist centres for eligible patients.
Interview Q: “What is gene editing (e.g. CRISPR) and how might it be used in future NHS treatments?”.
Other innovations: The NHS is exploring many technologies. Wearable health monitors, app-based therapy, virtual reality for pain management, and robotic surgery (e.g. Da Vinci) are all in pilot stages. The NHS Long Term Plan (2019) put digital transformation at its core, aiming to enable remote monitoring and integrated data systems. The pandemic accelerated some telemedicine uptake, and video GP consultations and remote patient monitoring remain more common.
Interview Q: “How could telemedicine benefit patients, and what are its limitations?”.
Organ donation policy: Organ transplant is another hot topic. England switched to an opt-out (presumed consent) system in May 2020 (the “Max and Keira’s Law”). Under this law, adults are assumed willing donors unless they register otherwise. The goal is to increase organ donation rates and reduce the waiting list - about 408 people died on transplant waiting lists in 2023. This policy remains debated (e.g. how to improve public awareness).
Interview Q: “What impact has the opt-out organ donation system had in the UK?”.
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NHS Hot Topics -> Ethics, patient-centred care and policies
Patient-centred care: The NHS emphasises caring for patients as individuals. In practice, this means clear communication, shared decision-making, and respecting patient preferences. The NHS Constitution motto “no decision about me, without me” reflects this ethos. Ethical principles underlie this: autonomy (patients’ right to choose), beneficence (do good), non-maleficence (do no harm), and justice (fairness). In interviews, expect questions on these pillars.
Interview Q: “Explain the four principles of medical ethics and give an example of how they apply to patient care.”.
Mental capacity and consent: Linked to patient-centred care is informed consent. Adults must consent to treatment, except if incapacitated (Mental Capacity Act 2005 rules then apply). Advanced directives and best-interest decisions can become tricky topics (e.g. DNACPR, organ donation wishes).
Interview Q: “What is informed consent, and how is it handled if a patient lacks capacity?”.
Whistleblowing and patient safety: Ensuring safety and learning from mistakes is vital. Whistleblowing means staff (or students) raising concerns about unsafe care. NHS England received 433 whistleblowing disclosures in 2023/24 (257 were in-scope under the Public Interest Disclosure Act). High-profile cases (Mid-Staffordshire, Bristol maternity, Dr. Bawa-Garba’s case) highlight the need for a culture that encourages speaking up. The Freedom to Speak Up guardians and safety frameworks aim to protect whistleblowers and improve care.
Interview Q: “Why is a blame-free culture important in the NHS, and what protections exist for whistleblowers?”.
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End-of-life and assisted dying: The legal and ethical status of assisted dying (euthanasia/physician-assisted suicide) is a hot debate. In the UK it is currently illegal, but this is under review: in late 2024 MPs voted to progress a Bill (the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill) to debate legalising assisted dying. This raises complex questions: patient autonomy vs sanctity of life, role of doctors in ending suffering, and how palliative care fits in.
Interview Q: “What are the main arguments for and against legalising assisted dying?”.
Resource allocation and justice: With finite resources, questions of fair distribution arise (e.g. which treatments to fund, prioritising cases). The NHS debates things like NICE guidelines (cost-effectiveness) and recent issues (like whether to fund expensive cancer drugs). These tie into justice in healthcare.
Interview Q: “How should limited NHS resources be prioritised?”.
Public policy and reform: Finally, broad reforms are in the spotlight. The government’s “NHS Fit for the Future” 10-year plan (2023–2033) promises more community care, digital tools, and prevention. For example, it claims to have recruited 1,900 new GPs and delivered 4 million extra appointments (vs. a 2m pledge), helping to cut waiting lists by ~250,000. Politically charged issues like NHS funding vs private sector involvement or overseas staffing (post-Brexit) are also worth understanding.
Interview Q: “What does the NHS Long Term Plan say about the future of care delivery?”.
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NHS Hot Topics -> Frequently Asked Questions
What are the biggest challenges facing the NHS?
Broadly, interviewers expect staffing, funding and demand to be top answers. Staffing shortages (in medicine, nursing and allied professions) and underinvestment have left too many posts unfilled. Rising patient demand (due to ageing, chronic disease, and pandemic backlogs) has created long waiting lists. Combined with funding that struggles to keep pace with costs (NHS budgets have been flat in real terms, leading to deficits), these create systemic stress. Other challenges include emergency care delays (ambulance/A&E), GP shortages, and the mental health crisis after COVID-19.
What health topics are trending right now?
Look for public health issues like antibiotic resistance, obesity, diabetes, and mental health. For example, antibiotic resistance causes ~400 hard-to-treat infections weekly in the UK. Obesity affects ~29% of adults (with serious health impacts). Mental health demand has soared (with millions seeking care and long waits). Advances in medical technology are also trending: AI diagnostics, gene therapies (CRISPR for sickle cell/thalassaemia), and digital health platforms. Ethical issues are “hot” too: assisted dying, CPR limits, and safe staffing vs. care quality.
What are the 5 P’s in the NHS?
There isn’t a single official “5 P’s” list, but candidates sometimes mention related terms. In nursing handover, the 5 P’s can refer to Pain, Position, Personal care, Personal belongings and Equipment (pumps/IV) as items to check for each patient. In a broader policy sense, some use 5 P’s to mean Prioritisation, Prevention, People, Planning, and Productivity. Key point: always focus on Patient, Preparation and Professionalism - and mention prevention and planning as priorities in the NHS.
What are the 5 C’s in the NHS?
The NHS actually promotes six core values (“6 C’s”) for care, which are: Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage, and Commitment. These guide how all staff should treat patients: e.g. compassionate care, keeping skills (competence) up-to-date, communicating well, having the courage to speak up about problems, and committing to patients’ well-being. (If asked specifically for five, you could mention any five of these six core values.)
Each of these topics - from workforce to ethics - is fair game in a medicine interview. Learn some facts (with the above) and prepare a brief, balanced answer (have a few short bullet points). Good luck with your NHS hot topics discussion!
Article Source Data: Official NHS England and UK government reports and expert analyses have been used throughout to provide up-to-date facts and figures.
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