In 2008 the NHS celebrates its 60th birthday. This briefing looks at key health care issues over the last 60 years and forward to its 120th birthday. [Introduction]
General practice has changed considerably over the past decade. Practice size has increased, the workforce has grown and become more diverse, the range of services offered has expanded, and the contracting and financing arrangements for GPs have changed. Current government policy aims to improve access and choice for patients, to ...
For the past three years patients referred by their GP for a specialist outpatient consultation have had a choice over where to be treated. As part of a larger research project, a survey was sent to patients in four case study areas of England to ask them about their experience ...
NHS spending in England may have more than doubled in real terms since 1999/2000, but the prospects for future funding now look bleak. Although there is consensus that the NHS faces a tough financial future, there is no agreement about just how cold the financial climate will be. Starting with ...
Primary care trusts (PCTs) spend around 75 per cent of the NHS budget in England. How do they decide on their spending priorities? This paper examines the data collected by the Department of Health on the amounts PCTs spend on the 23 programmes of care based on medical conditions such ... and An update to the briefing "Local variations in NHS spending priorities" published in 2006.
Workforce planning for the NHS is a large undertaking. The NHS in England employs approximately 1.3 million staff, 70 per cent of recurrent NHS costs relate to staffing, and more than £4 billion is spent annually on staff training. Securing a sufficient number of staff with the appropriate skills and ...
Recognising the significance of mental health in terms of both expenditure and the overall health of the population, the King's Fund commissioned a review. This report presents current and projected needs for mental health services and their related costs. It gives details on a number of specific disorders, including depression, ...
Practice-based commissioning (PBC) has been a major strand of NHS policy since 2005. There continues to be a high level of commitment to the policy among GPs, but many still remain hesitant about its impact to date and unsure if its potential will be fulfilled. In 2007, The King's Fund ...
How are top-ups distinct from other charges in the NHS and why have they become such a contentious issue now? This briefing gives some background on the relevant legislation and guidance in this area. [Introduction]
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 ...
This report brings together the findings and conclusions from three strands of research that addressed different aspects of the main research topic, which is the identification of successful strategies for sustaining reductions in waiting times. They are: identifying successful strategies for sustaining reductions in waiting times; the impact of waiting ...
Technology is widely used in many areas of life, and the NHS Next Stage Review highlighted the role that technology can play in improving health outcomes. However, the use of everyday technologies such as email and online booking systems is poor in the health service. This report aims to improve ...
This note responds to the Department of Health's review, led by Professor Mike Richards, into the consequences of additional private drugs for NHS care.
'Free choice' - allowing patients being referred for non-urgent treatment to choose a hospital anywhere in England - begins in the NHS in England in April 2008. It is another milestone in a policy that aims, among other things, to use consumer pressure to improve the quality of hospital services ...
Attempts to give more choice to users of public sector services has been a major theme of the Labour government's public sector modernisation programme. Policies have been developed in health care, education and social housing that aim to give users a greater choice of publicly or privately owned providers, and ...
The NHS has rarely managed to balance its books exactly; in many years it has overspent, and in some it has carried a surplus. In the financial year 2005/6 it is likely to record a substantial overspend - in gross terms, around £900 million, equivalent to around £700 million net ...