Culture should be a strategic priority amid the changing landscape of the healthcare system (BMJ, 8 May 2025)

Summary

The NHS workforce is under considerable operational pressure at every level from the combined effects of record demand and shortages of capital and resource. In addition, seismic shifts are on the horizon, including the abolition of NHS England (NHSE), the expected recommendations from the second Penny Dash report on patient safety, and the upcoming 10 year health plan.

The level of change the NHS is facing, as a safety critical sector, makes culture a strategic priority. To achieve the ambition behind these changes, we need an engaged, motivated workforce and a supportive, enabling environment, writes Isabelle Brown and Laura Turner. Getting the “how” right of any reform that might be introduced by the 10 year health plan is just as important as the “what” and the ”why.”