The King's Fund blog: health policy, NHS leadership, health and social care

Streamlining the organisation of the NHS without a top-down reorganisation

Chris Ham makes the case for aligning the work of NHS Improvement and NHS England.

The future of NHS commissioning: no map or clear destination

Ruth Robertson asks how CCGs will be affected as accountable care organisations/systems and sustainability and transformation plans/partnerships are layered on top of an already complex NHS landscape?

Growing up with the NHS: born on 5 July 1948

As part of our work on the changing relationship between the NHS and the public, Aneira Thomas, who was the first baby born on the NHS, shares her views on its past and its future.

Age-related dependency needs policy and long-term planning

Can we reduce late-life dependency or plan for it better? David Oliver reflects on the findings of a recent Lancet paper and asks what we can do to tackle the challenges it highlights.

Analysing STPs in London: service reconfiguration, finances and leadership

Chris Ham outlines the main issues brought to light in our independent assessment of London’s sustainability and transformation plans, and what the Mayor of London can do to help with their successful delivery.

GSK IMPACT awards – defining the boundaries between good and excellent

Helen Gilburt considers what it is that makes GSK IMPACT Award-winning charities stand out from the crowd.

Tobacco, drugs and obesity: taking stock of recent policy

David Buck explores the similarities and differences in the government’s approach to tobacco control, childhood obesity and drug strategy.

Getting serious about public mental health

Chris Naylor considers whether public mental health is being prioritised in a world of thinly stretched public health budgets.

Clinical artificial intelligence: on the brink of a digital revolution?

Hugh Harvey, Clinical Artificial Intelligence and Predictive Analysis Researcher at King's College London, looks at the potential that artificial intelligence offers for transforming frontline health care.

Learning from human guinea pigs: creating open, supportive organisational cultures

Alex Baylis looks at how far research ethics have come in 50 years and reminds us of the importance of creating organisational cultures that put patients first and support staff to do the right thing.

Lessons from Canterbury: Five reasons for hope

Following the launch of our new report, Developing accountable care systems: lessons from Canterbury, New Zealand, Stephen Dunn reflects on five reasons for hope.

Tearing up the rulebook: legislation and new care models

Ben Collins reflects on the reintroduction of top-down control of the NHS and system-wide planning, despite legislation that aimed to establish a very different type of health system. How far can this go before the wheels fall off?

London and health: the best and worst of cities

Chris Naylor examines how the capital compares with other English cities on selected health indicators, and asks what role cities should play in health improvement.

Great expectations: the changing nature of the public’s relationship with the NHS

What are the biggest issues and priorities for the NHS, and what do people expect from our health care system in the 21st century? As we start a new research project, Beth Adams reflects on the insights we’ve had so far.

Improving patient experience through design: The King's Fund in the 1960s

Nicholas Willsher looks at the Fund’s work in the late 1950s and early 1960s on improving patient experience and how the Fund developed its approach to design.

Political consensus needed to ensure the future of health and social care

In July, Chris Ham joined Sarah Wollaston MP to give the Speaker’s lecture on the future of the NHS in the House of Commons. Here, he summarises his contribution, detailing what needs to be done to secure a sustainable health and social care system.

Reducing inequalities in health: towards a brave old world?

David Buck looks at what recent research and data can tell us about progress on tackling health inequalities, and argues that when planning for the future we should look to the past.

Leadership in the independent sector

How can leaders drive quality improvement in independent hospitals? Alex Baylis and Deborah Homa look at the challenges.

Welcome to our new website: what’s changed

If you’re reading this then you’re looking at the latest incarnation of www.kingsfund.org.uk. We’ve spent the past 12 months speaking to website users, designing and testing concepts, building this website and transferring more than 5,000 pages from our old site to this one. I hope you like it.

When it comes to public sector pay, caveat emptor

Siva Anandaciva suggests that while ending the public sector pay cap may mean a fairer wage for NHS staff, it won’t be enough on its own to solve the health sector’s workforce challenges.