Recent reporting across government, medical, and charity sectors highlights ongoing differences in the regions of the UK when it comes to people accessing healthcare, particularly regarding diagnosis, treatment, and specialist care.
This is often described as a “postcode lottery” because the provision of services is unequal, and the quality of care received depends on a patient’s postcode.
What is the most common area of healthcare affected?
One of the most common areas of healthcare affected is cancer services. Whether someone has the opportunity to see a doctor and catch cancer early, so that the likelihood of it being treatable is increased, has for a long time depended on where they live. It is recognised that this needs to change.
A government press release in January 2026 states that the most deprived parts of the country often have fewer cancer consultants, which means that patients are left waiting longer for care that they so crucially need.
Macmillan Cancer Support conducted research found that 40% of people with cancer in the UK have struggled to access treatment or care because of where they live. This includes them having limited treatment options, long distances to travel for treatment, which causes increased stress and financial burden at a time when they are already under pressure. The charity estimates that these disparities could put up to 100,000 lives at risk.
Other reports discuss patients being unable to access more advanced radiotherapy techniques because of funding and administrative hurdles in their area. These advanced treatments are widely used in other countries but are not consistently available across England.
What other areas of healthcare are affected by a postcode lottery?
The funding of mental health services by local authorities has been noted to be widely different depending on the area of the country involved. This results in long waiting times for mental health support in some areas, or in some cases a complete lack of support, and this can have devastating consequences.
The child bereavement charity, Sands, reported in 2025 that only 17% of bereaved parents who sought NHS mental health support after the death of their baby or child were able to access it, and the availability of the services varied widely depending on where the parents lived. Many parents have to seek out support from charities, if it is available, or pay privately for counselling.
The Public Accounts Committee prepared a report in 2023 on ambulance response times and concluded that how quickly an ambulance arrived depended “too much on where a patient lives”.
What is the impact of regional variations on patients and the legal implications?
Regional variations in care do not automatically amount to medical negligence.
However, if the disparities in care cause or contribute to delays in diagnosis or treatment, then this may fall below an acceptable standard.
If patients experience avoidable harm because of delays, then they may have a claim for medical negligence. This is regardless of geography.
Quote from author. Gemma Lewis, Partner and Specialist Medical Negligence Solicitor from MDS, said "NHS patients across the UK deserve to have fair, equitable access to healthcare services. Regional variations in care have been apparent for many years and it is time for improvements to be made so that everyone receives the same standard of care, irrespective of where they live.”
