A wide range of public services - including higher education, housing associations and public service broadcasting - are now either funded, delivered, or regulated through agencies working at 'arm's length' from government. Is it time to consider a similar model for the modern NHS? Does the health service need to ...
Primary care trusts (PCTs) are struggling to deliver the demanding modernisation agenda set for them by ministers. In consequence, two new policy themes - stronger market incentives and the decentralisation of budgetary power - have been introduced to strengthen the commissioning role of PCTs. This discussion paper looks at how ...
An important component of the 1997 King's Fund report on mental health services in London was to analyse the costs of service provision. Over the six years since 1997, there have been some major policy and practice developments in the provision of mental health services in the UK, particularly the ...
This working paper says that mental health services have been slower to address inequalities than other health sectors and that this is exacerbating the problem of mental illness in the capital. As a result, services are less likely to be accessible to women from black and minority ethnic groups. The ...
This book aims to produce a resource that enables people in the mental health world better to understand the world of regeneration, and vice versa, within the framework of government-funded regeneration initiatives, and the National Service Framework for Mental Health, which places a heightened emphasis on social inclusion. The commitment ...
This guide sets auditing age discrimination in health and social care in the context of recent policy developments. Part One considers different forms of age discrimination, both direct and indirect. It is assumed that effective audits of age discrimination must extend beyond a formal audit of policies and must include ...
Since its beginnings, the NHS has had a close relationship with the pharmaceutical industry. While not an official public-private partnership (PPP) there has been, in effect, an implicit PPP for pharmaceutical research and provision. This partnership has been an undoubted economic success. However, the interests of users of the health ...
As the government seeks to accelerate change in the NHS and make services more responsive to public demands, the argument for market discipline versus planned provision is being hotly debated: can a highly centralised system sit comfortably alongside a market-led approach?; can market forces provide an effective response to the ...
Street drinking has a major negative effect on communities and drinkers alike. But street drinkers often find it hard to get the support they need, especially those who are unable or unwilling to stop drinking. There is widespread interest in how far wet centres can offer a way forward. In ...