Blog | The King's Fund

The story of NHS England: the world’s biggest quango

Chris Ham delves into a new book from Nicholas Timmins on the history of NHS England and reflects on the relationship between Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England and the NHS.

What has the STP or ICS ever done for me?

Chris Ham reflects on the progress in ICSs and STPs so far and assesses what they have achieved.

Transformational change in health and care: five small steps to make a big difference

Durka Dougall considers how five small steps can make a big difference in strengthening transformational change.

Addressing inequalities in mental health care: are we there yet?

Mandip Randhawa explores the link between ethnicity and inequality in mental health care.

The 10-year strategy for the health and care workforce

Which issues need to be considered when formulating the new NHS and social care workforce strategy? Here, Richard Murray gathers ideas from a recent roundtable event at the Fund.

How does the NHS compare internationally on its spending and key resources?

The UK health care system is not alone in the challenges it faces. What can we learn from how other countries have equipped themselves to deal with a growing and ageing population and changing health care needs?

NHS medicines provision: a tricky balancing act

With medicines spending growing at a time of NHS funding restraint, difficult choices lie ahead for policy-makers. Leo Ewbank assesses the current situation and looks at what the future may hold.

Talking about the ‘return on investment of public health’: why it’s important to get it right

David Buck sets out concerns about how the ‘return on investment of public health’ is being widely misinterpreted and why we all need to be clearer and more consistent about what we mean when using that term.

NHS70 – can you love something too much?

With the 70th anniversary of the NHS fast approaching, organisations in the sector are busy preparing all sorts of activity to mark the occasion. Katie Mantell considers what we want to achieve in the longer term.

The perpetual winter’s tale

Matthew Kershaw looks at the ongoing pressure on NHS performance and calls for action to ensure that the situation during the winter crisis does not become the new normal.

Improving population mental health: five lessons from Liverpool

Chris Naylor shares key lessons from a recent event in Liverpool on better mental health programmes.

Reforming social care is about more than funding

Simon Bottery considers the priorities for the upcoming social care Green Paper.

How can the NHS work effectively with patients and the public?

In a guest blog for our NHS and the public project, Ceinwen Giles asks what patient involvement could mean for the NHS.

Prime Minister’s promise of extra funding for the NHS raises questions about how much, when and how?

Following welcome news of a new funding settlement for the NHS, Chris Ham explores some of the remaining unanswered questions.

Housing: a home for STPs looking to influence the wider determinants of health

David Buck considers how sustainability and transformation partnerships can make more of the housing sector’s contribution to improving health.

A progress report on integrated care systems

Catch up on progress being made in integrated care systems around the country. Chris Ham covers the latest developments.

Closing the gap on BME representation in NHS leadership: not rocket science

Mandip Randhawa explores how to address inequality experienced by staff from a black and minority ethnic background in the NHS.

Let’s be frank about the NHS

In a guest blog for our NHS and the public project, Laura Fulcher asks whether it’s time for NHS leaders to acknowledge that the public must be involved in improving the NHS.

Clinical salesmanship and better information: making the most of digital technology in the NHS

David Maguire shares some early findings from our upcoming report on managing digital change in health and social care.

Achieving a balance between quality, access and money

Focusing on just one of these priorities can seem more straightforward, but that is not the reality of life for NHS leaders and is not the right approach, says Matthew Kershaw.

Publications: Independent research and analysis on health and social care

Reports, long reads and articles.