In 2024, healthcare systems in the UK and worldwide faced the perfect storm of ageing, demand, and burnout. As we enter 2025, these trends are likely to persist
Demographic shifts significantly impact healthcare delivery as life expectancy rises – reaching 79.4 years for men and 83.2 years for women in 2022. This increased longevity correlates with a growing population managing chronic health conditions, including diabetes, asthma, and cardiovascular diseases.
The healthcare landscape is further complicated by escalating patient demand, an ageing population, and the rising prevalence of complex health needs. Compounding these challenges are critical workforce issues, with mounting staff shortages and burnout creating significant barriers to accessing primary care, dental services, and hospital appointments.
Patients at the centre of their care
In 2025, a consistent message from patients and the public underscores three key priorities: reduced waiting lists and timely access to healthcare, an improved and seamless experience across providers, and the ability to access appointments remotely around their work and commitments. Keeping people well and in employment benefits both the individual and the economy, making personalised healthcare experiences a priority.
Prevention and personalised medicine
Prevention has been a focal point for the new government, but it’s not a new concept. As a nation, we have yet to shift from treatment to prevention. Creating integrated community hubs, joining wellness services such as healthy eating, exercise, and stress management, and further developing social prescribing are a few lifestyle factors that would contribute to a prevention agenda. Social care requires further action to move away from acute care and develop an integrated approach.
New advancements in personalised medicine—tailoring treatments to individual patients based on their health history and lifestyle—may have the greatest impact. With advances in genomics and other technologies, it’s now possible to develop treatments that are more effective with fewer side effects.
Digital health technologies and telemedicine
Digital health is rapidly growing. In 2025, we are likely to see a further explosion of health tech companies as consumers embrace wearable technologies to support self-management, remote health monitoring, and wellness enhancement. Remote surgery overseas is gaining traction, along with assistive technology to support independent living. The use of AI in healthcare to analyse complex information can significantly impact health and care settings by speeding up disease detection and boosting access and remote monitoring.
Mental health
Mental health continues to be a growing concern in the UK and globally. Mental health services are strained as patients in the community require greater levels of acuity and crucial early intervention. Improved access, resilient service delivery, increased staffing levels, and new models are urgently needed to support growing demand. Patients also need more prevention and promotion programmes, along with access to facilities closer to their homes.
Workforce recruitment and retention
Staff are the bedrock of the NHS and the UK’s health and social care services. It is vital to support and enable them in the years ahead. In 2025, healthcare providers must ensure the right number of staff with the appropriate skills to meet patient needs. Improving workplace environments, offering training—particularly digital skills training—and empowering teams are crucial for better recruitment and retention.
Transforming UK healthcare for a net zero future
The NHS is ahead of other countries in setting out its decarbonisation plan by 2030. To achieve this, healthcare organisations must embed sustainability into strategic and operational areas, including upskilling staff on the impact of their decisions.
Focus areas include heat decarbonisation, carbon reporting, and decarbonisation funding readiness. Strategic investments in reimagining and modernising infrastructure encompass digital integration, patient-centric design, technological innovation, and adaptive spaces supporting flexible care delivery.
The NHS must work together to update care models, digitising health services, and review space planning standards to account for new ways of working and innovative treatments. Alongside digitising and standardising design, working collaboratively with the private sector, to enable quicker manufacturing and assembly, while reducing waste, will also be crucial. Additionally, harnessing frameworks to purchase net-zero products and providing training to staff to contribute to net-zero objectives is essential.
![Figure 1. Systemic immune responses elicited by oral dmLT-saponin combinations compared to injected vaccines (A) Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) image of the dmLT and saponin formulation demonstrating the formation of acid-stable micelle particles upon the addition of saponin to dmLT. (B) Preclinical evaluation of systemic serum IgG and IgA antibody responses following prime/boost vaccination. Antibody levels against the microbial protein antigen included in the vaccination were assessed two weeks post-final vaccination in immunized mice. Groups were stratified by vaccination route (intramuscular [IM] or sublingual [SL]) and adjuvant formulation (dmLT [D] and/or saponin [S]). Comparisons with unvaccinated controls (white bars) are shown. Statistical significance between groups is indicated (*P < 0.05), with the SL D+S group achieving the best IgG and IgA responses to vaccine antigen.](https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Figure-01-100x70.jpg "New strategies for an old problem – Oral vaccines research")
