The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published the Lord Darzi National Health Service (NHS) investigation summary letter. In July 2024 Lord Darzi was commissioned to conduct an immediate and independent investigation of the NHS. Lord Darzi’s report gives an expert understanding of the current performance of the NHS across England including the challenges facing the healthcare system.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published statutory Guidance on the Health Claims (Revocation) Regulations 2024 which will revoke 60 pieces of secondary assimilated law on nutrition related labelling, composition and standards (NLCS) relating to authorisations of health claims. These Regulations significantly reduce the amount of NLCS in Assimilated Regulation 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims on foods, which governs the regulation of the use of health claims on food and sets out the legal framework for businesses making nutrition and health claims on foods and provides for a register of authorised and rejected health claims. Claims must comply with the general requirements as specified in Article 3 of those Regulations.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published the adult social care winter letter for 2024-25, from Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock to Chief Executives of local authorities and Directors of adult social services in England. The letter addresses building winter resilience in local health and care systems, workforce challenges in the adult social care sector, support for family carers, preventing avoidable hospital admissions and supporting timely discharge and, lastly, business continuity and working with providers.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published a collection of new and updated guidance on sales, promotion and enforcement restrictions affecting tobacco, vaping and nicotine products. From 29 October 2026, restrictions will apply to the sale and supply of vaping and nicotine products, including age of sale requirements, limits on free distribution and substantial discounts and a ban on vending machines selling regulated products. Enforcement authorities will also have expanded powers to issue fixed penalty notices for certain offences from that date. Additionally, from 1 January 2027, it will be an offence to sell tobacco products, herbal smoking products or cigarette papers to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published an open consultation on proposals to regulate NHS managers in England. It seeks views on options for regulating NHS managers and on the possibility of introducing a professional duty of candour for NHS managers. The consultation runs for 12 weeks and closes at 11:59pm on 18 February 2025.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published the government's consultation response on proposed changes to the National Health Service (NHS) Pension Scheme from 1 April 2025, confirming that it will implement the proposed changes, as well as a report on ‘Changes to member contributions in the NHS Pension Scheme, 2025’ detailing the changes to member contribution rates calculations for NHS Pension Scheme members in receipt of reduced pay. The published report on amendments includes changes to overtime pensionability in the 2015 Scheme, member contribution calculations during absence periods, general practitioner pension certificates and McCloud remedy provisions. The consultation ran from 10 December 2024 to 4 February 2025, with the outcome and report published on 10 March 2025.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published its response to consultation on changes to the statutory scheme controlling the cost of branded health service medicines. It confirms that it will reduce the 2026 headline payment percentage for newer medicines to 16.5% from 1 July 2026, to maintain broad commercial equivalence with the voluntary medicines pricing scheme. Companies that paid 24.3% in the first half of 2026 will pay 8.7% for the remainder of the year, for the full-year rate reflects the change.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published corrections to information regarding personal protective equipment procurement during the early COVID-19 pandemic, originally published in November 2021. The corrections include adding LUXE LIFESTYLE LTD to the High Priority Lane suppliers list following discovery of information during preparation for module 5 (procurement) of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, with public hearings held in March 2025. The DHSC has amended referral details for P1F Ltd, replacing the previously named individual with the FCO Donations Team as both source of referral and actual referrer. Additionally, a spelling correction has been made to list Inivos Ltd correctly under the New Buy heading, previously misspelled as Invios. The corrections were announced in a written ministerial statement by Karin Smyth MP, Minister of State for Health (Secondary Care), on 30 October 2025.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published the data on funds collected by the Compensation Recovery Unit (CRU) under the NHS injury costs recovery scheme for December 2023.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published a draft code of practice detailing how Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered providers must comply with statutory learning disability and autism training requirements. The code implements section 181 of the Health and Care Act 2022, setting out four mandatory training standards and establishing The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training as the government's recommended package. CQC will assess compliance as part of its regulatory framework, with powers to take enforcement action against providers who fail to meet the requirements. The code will be reviewed at least every five years.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published findings from its evaluation of the 2023–25 Better Care Fund Support Programme. Commissioned in February 2024 and conducted by Ipsos UK in partnership with the Institute of Public Care at Oxford Brookes University, the report outlines local authorities’ perspectives on the programme’s design and delivery, implementation barriers, examples of good practice, and the outcomes achieved. The report also identifies areas for improvement, including clearer communication of the programme's purpose, streamlined access and delivery processes, tailored support to address individual system needs and maturity levels, strengthened regional expertise among Better Care Managers (BCMs), and the establishment of peer learning platforms for senior leaders and BCMs.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published an explanatory memorandum explaining the European Commission’s proposal to amend the Regulation (EU) 2017/745 (Medical Device Regulation (MDR)) and Regulation (EU) 2017/746 (In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices Regulation (IVDR)). The memorandum explains that the proposal follows a targeted evaluation launched in 2024, which found that while the EU MDR and EU IVDR have strengthened device safety, performance and transparency, they have also resulted in high and often disproportionate compliance costs, regulatory complexity and delays, affecting innovation and the competitiveness of EU manufacturers, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises. It states that the reforms aim to simplify and reduce regulatory burden without undermining the regulations’ core objectives and while ensuring the smooth functioning of the EU market with a high level of protection of health for patients and users.