February has felt like one of those months where the NHS is trying to move forward while dragging a heavy weight behind it. There are sparks of innovation, a few signs of recovery, and then the familiar grind of disputes, underfunding, and people on the ground doing their best in conditions that would exhaust anyone.

Before diving into February, it’s worth noting that the last few days of January set the tone for everything that followed.

A Quick Look Back at Late January

Waiting Lists Finally Dip

Right at the end of January, the NHS waiting list fell for the first time in months. It wasn’t a dramatic drop, but symbolically it mattered. It showed that when winter pressures ease even slightly, the system can move in the right direction.

A&E Performance Edges Up

Emergency departments saw a small improvement in four‑hour performance - enough to suggest the worst of the winter surge might be behind us.

Pharmacy First Back in the Spotlight

Pharmacy First has been running since January 2024, but it returned to the headlines thanks to new guidance, myth‑busting updates, and a refreshed patient‑facing website. Pharmacists welcomed the clarity, though many still warn that workload and IT issues need sorting if the service is going to reach its full potential.

GP Access Data

GPs are delivering more appointments than before the pandemic — yet often are still unable to keep up with demand. This is the backdrop to February’s disputes over funding and sustainability.

Capital Funding Concerns

Several trusts raised alarms about crumbling estates and delayed rebuilds. RAAC concrete remains a slow‑burn crisis that never quite gets resolved.

Winter Respiratory Admissions Fall

Flu and RSV admissions began to drop, easing pressure on hospitals and helping explain the slight improvements in performance.

February 2026: The Month in Focus

1. AI and Workforce Innovation

An AI‑powered rostering system trialled in several trusts cut unfilled shifts by 97%. If that figure holds up, it’s an example of technology easing pressure rather than adding another layer of admin.

2. Digital Transformation & Productivity

NHS England has started publishing monthly digital productivity data. Early signs suggest that trusts properly integrating digital tools — the NHS App, Wayfinder, the AI assistant “Dora” — are seeing modest improvements in waiting list management.

3. Mental Health: A National Call to Action

A major campaign launched urging around nine million people living with anxiety to seek NHS talking therapies. The intention is good, but the reality is that wait times remain a major barrier — it is a system under extreme pressure.

4. Dental Contract Turmoil in Wales

Wales published new dental regulations ahead of the April contract overhaul — and dentists were furious. The BDA said the timing was impossible, leaving practices with barely any time to prepare.

5. Cybersecurity Push for Primary Care

NHS England announced new cyber‑resilience webinars for GPs, dentists, pharmacists, and optometrists. Given the rise in cyberattacks, this seems long overdue.

6. Pay & Workforce Relations: A Familiar Storm

The government confirmed a 3.3% pay rise for NHS staff from April — the first on‑time award in six years.

Reacting to the April Pay Rise, UNISON called the award “deeply disappointing.” The RCN said it “fails to recognise the scale of the crisis.” Staff describe a kind of weary realism: they’re not expecting miracles, but they do want to feel seen. Instead, the award feels like another reminder that the NHS runs on goodwill — and that goodwill may be wearing thin.

7. GPs Push for Higher Flu Vaccination Fees

Practices are paid £10.06 per jab, a figure that hasn’t kept pace with rising costs. Income has also fallen since the government stopped vaccinating the healthy 50–65 group.

With pharmacies becoming more aggressive in offering flu vaccines, surgeries are being left with unused stock that must be destroyed. Practices must order a year in advance and estimate demand — and anything beyond the usual 10% sale‑or‑return allowance becomes a loss.

Rising wages — especially the minimum wage — have eroded margins further. The BMA says the fee must rise in line with inflation. 

8. Junior Doctors: The Dispute That Won’t Settle

Junior doctors say pay has fallen by more than a quarter in real terms over the past decade. Talks have stalled again, and further strike action remains on the table.

9. Newly Qualified Doctors Struggling to Find Jobs

For the first time in living memory, newly qualified doctors are struggling to find NHS posts. Some have applied for dozens of jobs without success. Others are being told to “wait and see” or rely on unstable locum work. A few are looking abroad simply for stability.

For many, it’s a stark sign of a system that has lost its grip on workforce planning — and a waste of badly-needed professionals.

Closing Thoughts

February has been a month of contrasts. On one hand, we see sparks of progress — smarter rostering, better digital tools, attempts to widen access to mental‑health support. On the other, the same old structural cracks keep widening: pay disputes, underfunded services, and a workforce that feels taken for granted.

The NHS is full of people doing their best in a system that often makes that harder than it needs to be. If there’s a theme this month, it might be that the service is still capable of innovation — but it needs stability, respect, and proper investment to turn those sparks into something lasting.

References

These are the main sources behind the updates in this month’s roundup:

• NHS England — Monthly performance data (January & February 2026)
• NHS England — Digital productivity and AI rostering updates
• NHS England — Mental Health “Anxiety” campaign launch
• Community Pharmacy England — Pharmacy First myth‑busting and January 2026 updates
• British Dental Association — Response to Welsh dental contract regulations
• NHS England — Cyber‑resilience webinars announcement
• UNISON — Response to 3.3% NHS pay award
• Royal College of Nursing — Commentary on April pay settlement
• BMA GP Committee — Statement on flu vaccination fee
• BMA Junior Doctors Committee — Updates on stalled negotiations
• HSJ (Health Service Journal) — Reports on newly qualified doctors unable to find posts
• BBC Health & Guardian Health — Coverage of workforce pressures and job shortages