Publications

Bringing you the latest independent views on health and social care from The King's Fund, all of our reports and findings from our projects are available to buy or download.

To order printed copies of our publications, please purchase online or contact publications@kingsfund.org.uk or 020 7307 2568.

Should primary care trusts be made more locally accountable? publication cover

Should Primary Care Trusts be Made More Locally Accountable?

A discussion paper from The King's Fund
Ruth Thorlby, Richard Lewis, Jennifer Dixon
This discussion paper discusses a range of options for reforming the relationships between PCTs and their public.
Free choice at the point of referral publication cover

Free choice at the point of referral

Sarah Gregory, Ruth Thorlby
Free choice, allowing patients to choose a hospital anywhere in England, begins in April 2008. This briefing summarises the most recent data on choice of referral.
Regulating complementary medical practitioners publication cover

Regulating Complementary Medical Practitioners

An international review
This report examines the experiences of 16 countries in regards to complementary medical practices.
Safe Births: Everybody's business publication cover

Safe Births: Everybody's business

An independent inquiry into the safety of maternity services in England
Onora O'Neill
This report presents the findings of an independent inquiry into the safety of maternity services in England, offering recommendations for change.
Patient choice briefing cover

Briefing: Patient choice

Ruth Robertson, Ruth Thorlby
Patient choice has been a major theme of the Labour government's public sector modernisation programme. This briefing looks at the development of reforms to give patients a choice of provider for their planned hospital care.
Operating Framework 2008/9 briefing cover

Operating framework 2008/9

Ruth Thorlby
In this briefing we analyse the 2008/9 Operating Framework, created by the Department of Health as a set of priorities and guidance for running the NHS.
Governing the NHS: Alternatives to an independent board publication cover

Governing the NHS

Alternatives to an independent board
Anna Dixon, Arturo Alvarez-Rosete
Would an independent NHS board reduce micromanagement and day-to-day political interference in the running of the health service? This paper suggests limitations to this option and proposes several alternatives.
The future of care funding publication paper

The Future of Care Funding

Time for a change
Caring Choices coalition
Bringing together the findings from the Caring Choices events and website, this report looks at possible solutions to the problem of funding long-term care.
Practice-based commissioning briefing cover

Practice-based commissioning briefing

Natasha Curry, Ruth Thorlby
This briefing explores some of the questions and issues relating to practice-based commissioning in England, examines the pace of implementation and offers some analysis of the impact – current and future – on NHS services.
Improving chronic disease management publication cover

Improving Chronic Disease Management

An Anglo-American exchange
Anna Dixon, Rebecca Rosen, Perviz Asaria
The King's Fund and Commonwealth Fund sponsored a seminar bringing together leading policymakers, clinicians and academics from England and the USA to share experiences.
The reconfiguration of hospital services in England publication cover

The reconfiguration of hospital services in England

This briefing examines the recent debate over hospital configuration in England; describes what changes are currently being proposed together with the main factors driving these changes; and sets out the process by which services can be reconfigured.
Payment by results briefing cover

Payment by Results

This briefing explains how Payment by Results (PbR) works, examines the evidence on whether the system has achieved, or is likely to achieve, the policy aims set for it, and describes the government's current proposals for the future of PbR.
Our future health secured publication cover

Our Future Health Secured?

A review of NHS funding and performance
John Appleby, Tony Harrison, Sir Derek Wanless, Darshan Patel
Since the Wanless review of 2002, Securing our Future Health, NHS spending has increased by nearly 50 per cent. Our report looks at where that money has been spent, what it has achieved and whether government policy has promoted effective use of resources.
Conservative party health policy briefing cover

Conservative party health policy

Ruth Thorlby
This briefing analyses and comments on the key proposals contained in the policy document NHS Autonomy and Accountability, which was released by the Conservative party in June 2007.
NHS finances 2006/7 briefing cover

Briefing: NHS finances 2006/7

From deficit to a sustainable surplus?
Jo Maybin, Ruth Thorlby
This briefing analyses the latest figures and data extracted from NHS trust boards, to assess the scale of the challenges to the financial security of the NHS in the future.
Realising the benefits? Addressing the implementaiton of agenda for change publication cover

Realising the Benefits?

Assessing the Implementation of Agenda for Change
James Buchan, David Evans
Has Agenda for Change achieved its ambitious objectives of reforming pay, developing new ways of working and delivering better care? Using key national informants and case studies in 10 NHS trusts, this paper assesses the implementation.
Windmill 2007 publication cover

Windmill 2007

The future of health care reforms in England
Sarah Harvey, Alasdair Liddell, Laurie McMahon
What next for the NHS reforms? Based on a simulation event and extensive discussions with stakeholders, this paper offers insights into the health system of the future.
Practice-based commissioning: From good idea to effective practice front cover

Practice-based Commissioning survey results

From good idea to effective practice
Richard Lewis, Natasha Curry, Michael Dixon
Despite receiving widespread support, implementation of practice-based commissioning (PBC) has been slow. This report explores the current situation for PBC and considers how it might be driven forward within the NHS.
Our health, our care, our say briefing cover

Our health, our care, our say: A new direction for community services

In January 2006 the Department of Health published 'Our health, our care, our say: A new direction for community services'. This briefing outlines the main policies.
Health and ten years of Labour government briefing cover

Health and ten years of Labour government: achievements and challenges

Jo Maybin, Ruth Thorlby
After ten years in power, how successfully has Labour managed health provision in the UK? This briefing is an in-depth look into the issue.

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