In this report, we focus on what needs to be done to strengthen commissioning in the NHS, through an analysis of the problems with current commissioning arrangements. We begin by examining what is meant by ‘commissioning’ in the English NHS.
Quality has been at the centre of recent NHS policy, and the NHS Next Stage Review highlighted the role of information and measurement in supporting quality improvement, particularly in relation to patient safety, clinical effectiveness and patient experience. It is therefore important to be clear how quality can be measured ...
Since the 1950s, the NHS has been looking at ways of improving care coordination. Lord Darzi’s NHS Next Stage Review introduced a new concept, that of the integrated care organisation (ICO). Since then, the Government has begun piloting schemes that offer different models of integrated care. This report, published jointly ...
The aim of this report is to provoke and encourage thinking about the wide range of ways in which patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) data can be used to inform decisions. It draws on Bupa’s example to discuss how providers can use PROMs data to improve clinical performance. It also offers ...
With the Budget set to confirm that the NHS is facing the most significant financial challenge in its history, new analysis from The King’s Fund shows the extent of the productivity gap it needs to address.
General practitioners make over 9 million referrals each year, triggering many billions of pounds of expenditure. There is also significant variation in the quality and rate of referral between GPs and GP practices. As the NHS faces a prospective funding gap of £14-£20 billion and GPs take the lead for ...
The NHS is facing a significant financial challenge and needs to make substantial improvements in productivity if it is to provide high-quality services without additional funding. Spending on mental health accounts for around ten per cent of the overall health budget and so the mental health sector has a key ...
The National Health Service (NHS) is facing one of the toughest financial periods of its history during which it will need to maintain the quality of care. Clinical leadership will be critical as the service faces this challenge. The King’s Fund has a wealth of experience in developing the skills ...
This report summarises the discussions of 11 consultation events, ‘21st Century Doctor: Your future, your choices’, run from October 2009 to April 2010. An earlier series of events, ‘Do Doctors Have a Future?’ ran from May 2006 to April 2007
and looked at the way that doctors viewed the challenges ... and Acquiring and ensuring a professional approach is a key part of becoming a doctor. But how can doctors define and adopt this professional attitude and ensure that it is kept up to date in the same way as their clinical skills? And how should professionalism adapt and change to reflect ...