Prof Sir Chris Whitty on Misinformation and Disinformation in Health Care: Summit 2026 Session

Why It Matters

Restoring trust is central to delivering sustainable reform: without it, policy changes stall, workforce morale and professional autonomy weaken, and misinformation undermines public uptake of health interventions. The summit’s discussions will shape how leaders, regulators and providers prioritize trustworthiness in governance, workforce planning and care delivery.

Summary

At the 2026 Nfield Summit chair Martin Marshall framed the event around a central theme of trust, arguing that declining public and institutional trust is eroding professionalism, increasing bureaucracy and incentivizing performative behaviour and gaming across health and care. The program opens with Prof. Sir Chris Whitty addressing the harms of misinformation and disinformation in health, followed by panels on polarized debate, leadership in low‑trust environments, workforce morale, and early public thinking from Louise Casey on adult social care reform. Speakers will also explore care‑home models, the shift of care into people’s homes amid a housing crisis, and practical governance issues such as AI oversight. The agenda is designed to move beyond routine operational topics—budgets and waiting lists—to examine how rebuilding trust is essential for meaningful system reform.

Original Description

A keynote address from Professor Sir Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, who reflects on misinformation and disinformation in health and health care, vaccine hesitancy, and what the implications for policy, practice and public trust might be. Speech followed by an audience Q&A.

Session at Nuffield Trust Summit, Beaumont House, Windsor, 5 March 2026

Chair: Dr Becks Fisher, Director of Research and Policy, Nuffield Trust

Speaker: Prof Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, Department of Health and Social Care