Blogs

Our blogs highlight the voices of people working across the health and social care sector, talking about a range of timely issues.

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- 3 June 2026
National Voices’ message for NHS ConfedExpo: At a time of change, leaders need to stay close to people’s real experiences
Jacob Lant, Sarah Sweeney, Matt Heath, CJ Nwasike, Catherine Emmanuele, Louis Horsley
Ahead of NHS ConfedExpo 2026, the National Voices team reflects on a common theme running through conversations on AI, inequalities, commissioning, neighbourhood health and more.
- Lived experience
- Health inequalities
- Person-centred care
- 2 June 2026
Who will speak for patients when no one is listening?
Jacob Lant
Jacob Lant reflects on the Second Reading debate of the Health Bill, exploring the future of the Single Patient Record and the role of independent patient voice.
- Lived experience
- Health inequalities
- Communication and administration
- 28 May 2026
More than just a label: The importance of a timely and personalised Arthritis diagnosis
Aisha Mazhar, Policy Manager at Arthritis UK
Aisha Mazhar unpacks the findings from Arthritis UK’s new report, The Silent Treatment: Why an Arthritis Diagnosis Matters- highlighting the barriers to timely diagnosis and the urgent need for holistic, personalised care from day one.
- Lived experience
- Communication and administration
- 14 May 2026
Trauma-informed care and racialised communities
Abdirahim Hassan, Founder, Coffee Afrik CIC and Andy Bell, Chief Executive, Centre for Mental Health
Abdirahim Hassan and Andy Bell explore why trauma-informed care must also be anti-racist, recognising how structural racism and inequality shape mental health outcomes for racialised communities.
- Health inequalities
- Lived experience
- 12 May 2026
From awareness to action: the fight for better mental health care
Amy Gill, Brand Communications and Marketing Manager at Rethink Mental Illness
Amy Gill from Rethink Mental Illness highlights the need for action to improve mental health services, tackle unsafe care, and ensure people severely affected by mental illness get the support they deserve.
- Hospital waiting lists
- Person-centred care
- 4 March 2026
Behind every gap is a story
Sarah Sweeney
Sarah Sweeney, National Voices’ Director of Evidence and Improvement, reflects on our reenergised approach to delivering CQC’s Public Engagement Network within the Voices for Health Equity Partnership.
- Health inequalities
- 12 February 2026
Beyond compliance: Why patient engagement must shape medical device design
Louis Horsley
Louis Horsley, National Voices’ Research and Insight Manager, stresses the importance of medical device design being shaped by meaningful patient engagement, sharing how real-world usability directly impacts wellbeing, outcomes, and long-term value beyond regulatory compliance.
- Integrated care
- Person-centred care
- 6 February 2026
Organising cancer care around people, not systems
Matt Heath
Matt Heath, National Voices’ Policy and Communications Manager, reflects on the National Cancer Plan, welcoming its people-centred ambition while questioning whether delivery and accountability will be enough to close persistent gaps.
- Health inequalities
- Digital health and care
- Person-centred care
- 5 February 2026
Turning lived experience into impact
Katie-Rose Stone
Katie-Rose, a National Voices’ Lived Experience Partner, reflects on using her lived experience to help shape and analyse our research into patients’ experiences of medical devices outside hospital settings.
- Lived experience
- Person-centred care
- Health inequalities
- 25 November 2025
Breaking down digital barriers
Tim Clarke, Deputy Director for Transformation, Adoption & Inclusion, NHS England
Tim Clarke shares how the Transformation Directorate is tackling digital exclusion head-on, from library partnerships and free data schemes to inclusive design and accessibility testing across the NHS App and website.
- Digital health and care
- Health inequalities