Primary and community care

Comment & analysis

• After the Future Forum’s report on integrated care, what now?

  Primary care must be at the heart of delivering integrated care; in his blog, Chris Ham looks at the changes needed in general practice to achieve this goal.

• Preparing primary care for the future – perspectives from the Netherlands, England, and USA

  Nick Goodwin analyses the diversity of approaches to organise and finance health care in the Netherlands, England, and USA. (Article, Dec 2011)

• Do we spend too much money on drugs?

  As the cost and quality of GP prescribing comes under media scrutiny, Nick Goodwin asks – are we spending too much money on drugs?

• Are we looking at reform through the wrong end of the telescope?

  Should the Health and Social Care Bill be focusing on the reform of GPs as providers instead of on GPs as commissioners? Candace Imison takes a look at the changes to NHS reforms. (Blog, Candace Imison, 15 Jun 2011)

• Commissioning for the future: will fact follow fiction?

  How closely does the Health Select Committee's report mirror a simulation exercise run by NHS Lincolnshire to illustrate commissioning NHS health services in 2013/14? (Blog, Natasha Curry, 8 Apr 2011)

• Are we prepared for the £1-million GP?

  There has been much debate over GPs potentially making a profit out of health care budgets as result of GP commissioning. Are we ready to allow profits to be made on savings from health care budgets in return for better and more cost-effective services? (Blog, Nick Goodwin, 28 Mar 2011)

• How good is the quality of general practice in England?

  How good is the quality of general practice in England? An independent panel commissioned by the Fund provided an answer to this question this morning. (Blog, Chris Ham, 24 Mar 2011)

• General practice must embrace change to improve quality of patient care

  A major inquiry commissioned by The King’s Fund has concluded that, while the majority of care provided is good, there are widespread variations in performance and gaps in the quality of care delivered by general practice. (Press release, 24 Mar 2011)

• It’s good to talk: social network analysis as a method for judging the strength of integrated care

  This article examines potential for social network analysis to be used to evaluate integrated care (24 Dec 2010)

• Providers need to get their act together while commissioners look the other way

  The NHS is already implementing radical changes to the organisation of commissioning, but the GP consortia are not commissioning services yet, so what should health care providers do in the meantime? (Blog, Anna Dixon, 31 Jan 2011)

• Pathfinder consortia: a step in the right direction

  The second in the Fund’s series of seminars on health and the Big Society provoked an interesting debate and very frank discussion on the challenges of balancing the reality of the financial situation with the vision expressed in the health White Paper. (Blog, Chris Ham, 8 Dec 2010)

• Explaining variation in referral from primary to secondary care: cohort study

  To what extent does referral from primary care vary by age, sex, and social deprivation and do any sociodemographic variations in referral differ? This study investigates (Article, British Medical Journal, 30 Nov 2010)

• Put integration of care at the heart of NHS reform, says The King's Fund

  The opportunity provided by the NHS White Paper to encourage more integration of care and improve outcomes for patients should not be wasted, a new report from The King’s Fund says. (Press release, 23 Nov 2010)

• Does the English system of general practice set the bar internationally?

  If familiarity breeds contempt, then distance lends perspective. This much Chris Ham learned – or remembered – on a recent visit to Australia. (Blog, Chris Ham, 9 Nov 2010)

• Continuity of care should be the priority issue for general practice, survey reveals

  Over half (57 per cent) of GPs and other practice-based professionals surveyed by The King’s Fund said that providing continuity of care should be the main priority for improving the quality of general practice in England. (Press release, 3 Nov 2010)

• Referral management centres fail to deliver savings, according to new research from The King's Fund

  A report from The King’s Fund has found that NHS referral management centres (RMCs) and some other interventions to manage GP referrals into secondary care are failing to improve quality and deliver cost savings. (Press release, 12 Aug 2010)

• GPs must embrace the quality revolution

  General practice lies at the heart of the new coalition government’s plans for reform of the NHS in England. (Blog, Nick Goodwin, 11 Jun 2010)

• Should politicians be saving our local hospitals?

  As the election campaign ratchets up a gear, and the outcome is anyone’s guess, prospective MPs are vying for every last one of our votes. Candidates are keen to tell us how they will make a difference in our local areas; where local service changes are planned, promises to save hospitals or A&E departments are a common theme. (Blog, Jo Maybin, 23 Apr 2010)

• The Lib Dem manifesto: the end of the PCT?

  The final piece of the NHS election jigsaw is now in place with the publication of the Liberal Democrats’ manifesto. It contains a mixture of proposals which are vague, radical and specific. (Blog, Ruth Thorlby, 14 Apr 2010)