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Effective chronic care means recognising the importance of mental health
The interaction between physical and mental health has been attracting increasing attention across the political spectrum. Last year, the government recognised the importance of the issue with its mental health strategy 'No health without mental health'. And more recently, Andy Burnham chose integration of mental and physical health care as the subject of his first major speech since returning to the health portfolio.The role of poor mental health in exacerbating physical health problems is a subject that deserves every bit of the attention it gets. People with long-term conditions are two to three times more likely to experience mental health problems than the general population. In absolute terms, at least 4 million of the 15 million people in England with a long-term physical health condition also have a mental health problem... read on »
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Health Select Committee weighs in to debate on social care
There was a time when a Health Select Committee report on social care would barely quicken the pulse of anyone other than sector insiders and the policy commentariat. But as the troubled Health and Social Care Bill returns to the House of Lords, and with the government’s response to the Dilnot report on social care funding weeks away, the Committee under its current chair has form, so its latest report will be subject to forensic scrutiny.The Committee adds its own authoritative weight to the well-documented arguments on the deficiencies of the current system and wastes no time in pinning its colours to the mast of ‘a well-funded, fully integrated system of care, support, health, housing and other services, not just to provide high-quality support for individuals, carers and families, but also to provide good value to the exchequer and the taxpayer’. It echoes much of the thinking in our recent report with the Nuffield Trust for the NHS Future Forum... read on »
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Do we need national outcomes strategies?
The editorial from the BMJ, the HSJ and Nursing Times criticising the damage being caused by the health reforms is the hot topic this week. But on Friday last week, the Lancet had an important editorial too. It referred to a recent report by the National Audit Office, which concluded that neurological conditions remain neglected and ignored, and supported the call from the charity umbrella group the Neurological Alliance that the NHS needs a national outcomes strategy led by a clinical champion for neurological conditions.The variability in the quality of neurological services is clear. There is evidence of late and missed diagnosis, rising emergency admissions, lack of access to specialists, poor information and support for patients, and poorly co-ordinated services. But would national strategies solve the problem... read on »
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Don’t oversimplify the debate on NHS reform
Passions are running high in the debate about the NHS reforms. At The King’s Fund, we are passionate about the NHS and the principles that underpin it – universal, comprehensive and equitable health care for all – while recognising the need for further improvements in performance, building on the major achievements of the last decade. The government has undoubtedly made a major strategic error in deciding to enact its reforms through a lengthy and complex piece of legislation, but some of its critics have undermined their case by claiming that the Health and Social Care Bill heralds the end of the NHS as we know it.Discussion about the reforms has become unhelpfully polarised around a debate about whether or not the Bill should be dropped. Our view at the Fund is that the complexity and importance of the issues at stake cannot be reduced to the simple question, are you for or against the Bill? This is because the Bill and associated reforms offer opportunities as well as risks, and our role as a think tank is to analyse, inform and seek to influence policy, rather than to adopt a campaigning stance that takes sides in an increasingly acrimonious debate... read on »
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The wrong time for a radical reduction in NHS management?
New details of the design of the NHS Commissioning Board raise serious questions about whether the NHS will have sufficient managerial capacity during the turbulent period ahead. In papers released yesterday, the Board describes the potential loss of talent as one of the ‘key risks’ associated with the transition process.The Board will have 3,500 employees in all – a reduction of many thousands compared to the numbers of people currently performing similar functions in primary care trusts, strategic health authorities and the Department of Health. The budget available by 2014/15 will be approximately half of what is currently spent on the functions it will take over... read on »
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About the blog
Welcome to The King’s Fund Blog. Here you will find up-to-date comment and analysis on the key issues surrounding health and social care in England. We actively encourage comments and discussion on the blog, to further the debate and to help inform our thinking. To comment, please take a few moments to register with us. Please read our comments policy.