What’s Keeping Health Engagement Professionals Up at Night?

We recently asked our network a simple question:

What will be the biggest engagement challenge in health in 2026?

The answer was clear.

System reform and policy change came out on top, with 50% of respondents identifying it as their biggest challenge. Close behind was community and patient trust (41%), with only a small number pointing to engaging diverse communities or other issues.

While the sample size was small, the result reflects what many across the sector are already experiencing.

Reform Is Driving Complexity

Health systems across Australia and New Zealand are undergoing significant change — from structural reform to evolving models of care.

For engagement professionals, this creates a moving target.

Decisions are often being shaped in parallel with engagement processes, leaving limited room for flexibility and increasing pressure to communicate clearly in complex environments.

Trust Remains Close Behind

The strong result for trust is no surprise.

As systems change, so do expectations. Communities and patients want to understand not just what is happening — but how decisions are being made and what it means for them.

This places greater emphasis on:

• Transparency

• Clarity

• Demonstrating influence

Because where trust is low, engagement becomes harder — regardless of how well it is designed.

What This Signals for Practice

Taken together, the results point to a clear challenge:

Engagement in health is no longer just about participation.
It is about navigating change.

That means working in environments where:

• Policy is evolving

• Expectations are rising

• Certainty is limited

And where engagement plays a critical role in helping organisations bring people along through that change.

The Takeaway

Reform and trust are not separate challenges.

They are deeply connected.

Because how change is delivered — and how people are engaged in that process — will ultimately shape how it is received.

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