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.
The government’s proposed reforms to the health and social care system include clear aspirations for the voluntary and community sector as a provider of health services, a source of support for commissioning and a partner in tackling health inequalities. However, the reforms also present a number of challenges and risks. ...
The coalition government has made clear its commitment to the integration of health and social care in its proposals for reform. In the context of the intense financial and demographic challenges facing both health and social care, this paper offers a fresh assessment of the prospects for integrating health and ...
Integration of health and social care is a core policy aim of the new coalition government in England. It has several benefits for patients, particularly older people and those with long-term conditions. But how does integration work in practice? This paper sets out how one particular area – Torbay – ...
At a time of enormous change in the NHS, leaders and managers have a crucial role to play. But what sort of leaders does the service need? Does the model, prevalent in public service over recent years, of the ‘hero’ chief executive still hold sway? The King’s Fund set up ...
This paper explores the coalition government’s record on NHS reform by describing the situation it inherited when it came to power in 2010, the policies it has pursued, and (where available) evidence of their impact. It takes the stated aims of the reforms
as the starting point and reviews progress ...
This report, the second part of 'The NHS under the coalition government', looks at how well the NHS has performed under the coalition government. The report acknowledges that assessing the performance of any health service is an inexact science for many reasons, but using routinely available data, the report creates ...
This paper seeks to identify the skills, knowledge and behaviours required of new system leaders and to learn from systems attempting to combine strong organisational leadership with collaborative system-level leadership approaches. The paper draws on three years' development work with leaders in health care systems in north-west England, undertaken by ...
Reforms of the NHS are changing the role of the state in the provision of health care. Competition within the NHS (and with private providers) and the introduction of foundation trusts change the way in which providers should be regulated. This paper explores the impact of market incentives in the ...
The Patient-Centred Care Project aimed to improve the experience and quality of care for patients receiving treatment for breast cancer and lung cancer at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The project was supported by King’s College London and The King’s Fund. ...