The need to wait for health care has been a feature of the NHS since its inception. When Labour came to power in 1997, total numbers of patients waiting stood at 1.3 million: the highest since the NHS began in 1948. The government announced its 'war on waiting' and pledged ...
This report draws on recent research with vanguard sites in England, conducted in partnership with the Royal College of Psychiatrists. It finds that where new models of care have been used to remove the barriers between mental health and other parts of the health system, local professionals saw this as ...
This is one of a series of case studies exploring how individuals living in London have used the King's Fund Millennium Awards scheme to make a real difference to the health of others in their communities. While working at a west London community centre, Imo Akpan recognised a reluctance among ...
Written as a contribution to the government's current listening exercise, this paper sets out the challenges facing the NHS and identifies the reforms we believe are needed to meet these challenges. We offer suggestions for revisions to the current Health & Social Care Bill and future policy development but we ...
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. ...
Variations in health care in the NHS are a persistent and ubiquitous problem. But which variations are acceptable or warranted - for example, variations driven by clinical need and informed patient choice - and which are not? The important question is how to promote 'good' variation and minimise 'bad' variation. ...
This paper has been written as a contribution to the work of the NHS Future Forum and in support of the government's espoused aim of placing integrated care at the heart of the programme of NHS reform. Integrated care is essential to meet the needs of the ageing population, transform ...
This report reveals that two-thirds of the PCTs responding to the survey had not yet carried out any assessment to identify patients who might need support in making choices about which hospital to go to. A similar proportion had not commissioned any new services to support the introduction of patient ...
This paper, the first in a series of WSDAN briefing papers, looks at how telehealth and telecare innovations are being used in health and social care. It considers the range of innovative approaches that have been developed, giving some practical examples. It identifies some of the key challenges to the ... and WSD Action Network has been commissioned by the Whole System Demonstrator Programme at the Department of Health and through the Department of Health's Policy Research Programme. The Network is hosted by The King's Fund and DH Care Networks on behalf of the Department of Health.
Maternity services - in common with the rest of the NHS - need to focus on new ways of working to maintain and increase levels of safety and quality of care within the resources available. There are particular pressures on maternity services because of the rise in birth rates and ...
The coalition government wants to encourage health care providers to consider employee ownership, and the development of mutuals, with the aim of creating 'the largest and most vibrant social enterprise sector in the world' (Department of Health 2010a, p 36). These plans are part of a broader programme of public ...
The impact of funding cuts to the NHS has been widely reported and discussed, but less attention has been given to social care - and, most importantly, to the inter-relationships of health and social care. Social care funding has increased in real terms for the past decade, but there has ...
Local accountability has been a significant policy issue within the NHS generally. However, primary care trusts are in the main accountable to the centre and there have been calls to review this. This paper discusses a range of options for reforming the relationships between PCTs and their public. It explores ...
First introduced into health care in the 1980s in the United States, and later developed and championed by Monitor in England as part of its function to support good financial and performance governance in foundation trusts, service-line reporting (SLR) and service-line management (SLM) are one approach to informed clinical leadership ...
The health and social care system is currently tackling three inter-related challenges: coping with rising demand and reduced funding; handling NHS restructuring; and transforming social care. How can these challenges be seen as an opportunity to achieve fundamental change to the system? The Routes project, a simulation exercise created by ... and The Routes project was commissioned by The King's Fund in partnership with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Social Care Institute for Excellence, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and the Local Government Association.
Studies in many industries, including health care, suggest that leadership is a critical element in organisational performance. Collins (2001) suggests that disciplined, hard-working leaders are essential to moving organisations from 'good' to 'great'. Such leaders help companies to recruit the right leadership team, develop an effective strategy and create a ...
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 entering a period of acute financial pressure and needs to find up to £20 billion in productivity improvements over the next few years. There are particular challenges for the many hospital trusts that enter the 'cold' financial climate with deficits and legacy debt. Reconfiguring Hospital Services: Lessons ...
This report reviews recent developments in thinking and action in relation to leadership in the public and voluntary sectors, based on published and in press academic literature and in observed practices on the ground. The aim of the report is to stimulate discussion about the implications for leadership for health ...
As part of its work looking at the pressures being faced by the NHS, The King's Fund published its first Quarterly Monitoring Report in April 2011. This is the fourth report, and it aims to provide a real-time update on how the NHS is coping as it tackles the evolving ...
The report was commissioned by The King's Fund on behalf of an independent panel. The views expressed in this report are those of the independent panel and do not necessarily represent the views of The King's Fund and In this document, we outline the key findings for professionals in general practice and describe the central role that general practice must now play to improve the quality of health care
This, the second annual King's Fund Lecture at the Faculty of Public Health Medicine annual conference, warns that mental health policy has become obsessed with protecting the public from 'mad axemen' to the detriment of patient care. Jeremy Laurance, health editor at The Independent, states that since the death of ...
This report identifies the key values relevant to public health policy and outlines the potential conflict and synergies between these values. It sets the scene for the 'Public Health and Public Values' project at the King's Fund. The project aims to engage Londoners in a public debate about how public ...
This discussion paper examines psychosocial provision in the community for dying people, and argues that the new-found commissioning powers of primary care trusts (PCTs) are the key to unlocking better, more integrated care. PCTs are now in the position to: strengthen clinical governance within the new N.I.C.E. guidelines; improve education ...
This is one of a series of papers being produced in 2002/03 as part of the King's Fund Mental Health Inquiry. The Inquiry aims to assess whether London mental health and mental health services have improved over the last five years. In 1997 the King's Fund produced a report entitled ... and Effective promotion of mental health and well being encompasses coordinated activities for communities, families and individuals. However, little is known about the current state of mental health and well being promotion in London. This paper seeks to fill that gap, drawing evidence from three 'case study' projects promoting mental health ...
A high proportion of people in the criminal justice system have mental health problems, and often they do not get the support they need. Revolving Doors, a registered charity based in Clerkenwell, runs a scheme in which staff known as link workers provide practical support for people with mental health ...
This paper provides a commentary on the progress being made by the NHS and local government as they work together to improve services for older people and people with long-term illness or disability. The views expressed are those of the King's Fund, drawing on discussions in an expert group convened ...
This report provides an analysis of the NHS management workforce and how it has changed over the past 14 years, using data from the Binley's Database of NHS Management produced by Beechwood House Publishing Ltd. The report has been produced for The King's Fund Commission on Leadership and Management in ...
This working paper aims to revisit findings from the 1997 King's Fund Inquiry on Mental Health and to examine the extent to which primary care mental health services have developed in line with recommendations made at that time. It takes a narrow view of 'primary care' as relating to general ...
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 ...
This case study is one of six, which form part of a project undertaken by The King's Fund to investigate the different ways in which consultants are working beyond their traditional boundaries. The King's Fund's staff reviewed relevant documentation and interviewed staff to help identify the key characteristics of this ...
This case study is one of six, which form part of a project undertaken by The King's Fund to investigate the different ways in which consultants are working beyond their traditional boundaries. The King's Fund's staff reviewed relevant documentation and interviewed staff to help identify the key characteristics of this ...
Since their formation in 2012, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have already faced formidable challenges, tasked with managing substantial commissioning budgets amid increasing financial pressure. In a further development from 1 April 2015, CCGs will now also be given the option to take up more devolved powers to co-commission primary care ...
This case study is one of six, which form part of a project undertaken by The King's Fund to investigate the different ways in which consultants are working beyond their traditional boundaries. The King's Fund's staff reviewed relevant documentation and interviewed staff to help identify the key characteristics of this ...
This case study is one of six, which form part of a project undertaken by The King's Fund to investigate the different ways in which consultants are working beyond their traditional boundaries. The King's Fund's staff reviewed relevant documentation and interviewed staff to help identify the key characteristics of this ...
This case study is one of six, which form part of a project undertaken by The King's Fund to investigate the different ways in which consultants are working beyond their traditional boundaries. The King's Fund's staff reviewed relevant documentation and interviewed staff to help identify the key characteristics of this ...
This case study is one of six, which form part of a project undertaken by The King's Fund to investigate the different ways in which consultants are working beyond their traditional boundaries. The King's Fund's staff reviewed relevant documentation and interviewed staff to help identify the key characteristics of this ...
This assessment tool was developed in collaboration with NHS trusts participating in The King's Fund's Enhancing the Healing Environment (EHE) programme. This phase of the EHE programme was funded by the Department of Health to support the implementation of the National Dementia Strategy. The assessment tool is informed by research ... and Free registration required to access this tool.
These slides are based on 'The district council contribution to public health: a time of challenge and opportunity', an independent report written by The King's Fund but commissioned by District Councils' Network. and In partnership with District Councils' Network, we have produced a set of slides that illustrate the key role played by district councils in keeping us healthy. We hope they will be a useful resource for you - please feel free to use them in your office, in documents or presentations.
This slideshow presents the key findings from a survey of GPs in six clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). The survey was conducted by the Nuffield Trust and The King's Fund as part of a three year project, looking to understand how the clinical commissioning groups at the heart of the NHS ...
This slide deck presents the fourth and final year of results from an annual survey of GPs and practice managers in six CCGs across the country. The survey explores how GP attitudes towards clinical commissioning have evolved since their launch in 2013. The results show that over the past three ...
The government wants shared decision-making to become the norm in the NHS, but there is confusion about why it is important, what it involves and what the implications might be for patients, clinicians and the wider health service. This report clarifies the concept and outlines the actions needed to make ...
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 publication describes projects in 19 NHS trusts and one HM prison that took part in schemes to improve the environment of care at the end of life. It describes the broader Enhancing the Healing Environment programme, which has been supported by the Department of Health in a series of ...
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 - ...
The aim of this paper is to describe the different forms of integrated care and to summarise evidence on their impact. The paper is based on a major review published by The King's Fund and has been prepared in the light of the increased interest in integrated care arising out ...