Blog Comment and analysis on the key issues in health and social care Search Apply Listing Content Type Viewing: All blogs All blogs Share this content Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Email Print this page Topics Health and care services (-) Adult social care Cancer services Community services Emergency care End-of-life care General practice Hospital care Long-term conditions (-) Maternity services (-) Mental health (-) New models of care Public health (-) Sexual health care Leadership, systems and organisations Clinical commissioning groups Clinical leadership Equality and diversity Health and wellbeing boards (-) Integrated care Local service design Patient leadership Quality improvement Sustainability and transformation plans System leadership Voluntary and community sector Workforce and skills Patients, people and society (-) Carers Children and young people Health inequalities Housing Older people Patient experience Patient involvement Patient safety Population health Public opinion Technology and data Volunteers Policy, finance and performance Access to care Better Care Fund Brexit Commissioning and contracting Devolution (-) General election 2017 General election 2019 Governance and regulation (-) Health and Social Care Act 2012 NHS finances NHS five year forward view (-) NHS long-term plan Performance Productivity Social care finances Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Blog The NHS estate backlog grows again New NHS Digital data on the state of the NHS estate reveals the backlog maintenance cost has increased once again, so how should new capital funding be prioritised? Siva Anandaciva outlines the impact of the estate on patient care, and highlights four key issues for consideration. Blog 2020: the health policy year in 12 charts The wheels of health policy turn quickly. So, as 2021 begins Siva Anandaciva looks back at the key health policy moments of 2020 to consider the challenges and opportunities that the year brought. Blog Health and care in 2021: what can we expect? In this first blog of the new year, Richard Murray outlines the key challenges and opportunities facing the health and care system in 2021. Blog Careworker pay: the national living wage is not enough The national living wage is a crude and ineffective way of raising careworker pay, says Simon Bottery. We need a better way of doing it, linked to wider social care reform. Blog A recipe for baking in collaboration? NHS England and NHS Improvement’s proposals for new legislation NHS England and NHS Improvement’s latest legislative proposals show a desire to fast forward the integration agenda, but without further detail it’s hard to reach a view. Richard Murray reflects on the proposals. Blog What does the autumn 2020 Spending Review mean for health and care? Who were the winners and losers in the Chancellor’s autumn Spending Review? Siva Anandaciva looks at what the government’s plans promise for health and care. Blog Twelve social care personas: which one(s) are you? Simon Bottery identifies 12 different perspectives on adult social care – and argues reform needs to accommodate as many as it can. Blog The Comprehensive Spending Review needs to be genuinely comprehensive: and that means investing in social care As the Comprehensive Spending Review approaches, Simon Bottery says social care has a strong case for extra investment but may need to address the ‘p’ word – productivity. Blog The Comprehensive Spending Review and Covid-19: the more we know, the less we know... How will the autumn Comprehensive Spending Review address the short-term and long-term needs of the health and care system, especially when the future is so uncertain? Jonathon Holmes considers the Chancellor’s options. Blog Improving the nation’s health: striking the right balance between national and local Sally Warren reflects on the findings of the Health Devolution Commission, which considered the role of ‘health in all policies’ and the balance between local and national action. Blog The new NHS and mental health: where are we going wrong? Providing joined-up services that address people’s physical and mental health needs has long been a challenge. Jihad Malasi asks whether primary care networks could be the answer to providing holistic primary care mental health services. Blog Mental health care in the time of Covid-19 Helen Gilburt reflects on the experiences of staff and people with mental health problems during the first months of Covid-19 and urges mental health services to learn from those experiences to plan for the future. Blog What has Covid-19 taught us about supporting workforce mental health and wellbeing? The Covid-19 outbreak has exposed gaps in psychosocial support for health care workers. Mary Docherty, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust London, considers the action needed to address those gaps and meet the needs of the workforce in the future. Blog Shielded voices: hearing from those most in need Charlotte Augst, Chief Executive of National Voices, and Dan Wellings, Senior Fellow at The King’s Fund, make the case for including communities using services in the Covid-19 response. Blog Tough challenges but new possibilities: shaping the post Covid-19 world with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector Lisa Weaks explores the challenges facing the VCSE sector and the importance of harnessing its expertise, workforce and reach in the Covid-19 response. Blog Social care reform: fit for purpose or simply fit for a crisis? As the social care sector continues to feel the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak, social care reform is once again up for debate. Sally Warren outlines why any reform must have the needs of service users and staff at its heart. Blog Tackling the Covid-19 outbreak in care homes: messages from a geriatrician and a health service researcher about how the NHS can help Covid-19 demands that there is closer working between care homes and the NHS to support residents to be safe and well. Researchers Adam Gordon and Claire Goodman reflect on the messages they are hearing from care home staff about what support is needed. Blog Integrating health and social care in the Covid-19 (coronavirus) response The response to the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak has shown examples of real community spirit and collaboration, as well as revealing some deep-rooted differences between the NHS and the social care sector, as Richard Humphries explores. Blog Social care can’t cope alone with the cost of the living wage The rise in the national living wage will stretch adult social care beyond its limit, says Simon Bottery. More money – and a more strategic approach to the social care workforce – is needed. Blog One step forward for community services New standards aim to improve urgent care in the community, but how easily can they be delivered? Anna Charles considers how workforce, social care and the pace of change might pose challenges for implementing these welcome plans. Subscribe to our Weekly Update newsletterPublications: Independent research and analysis on health and social care Reports, long reads and articles.
Blog The NHS estate backlog grows again New NHS Digital data on the state of the NHS estate reveals the backlog maintenance cost has increased once again, so how should new capital funding be prioritised? Siva Anandaciva outlines the impact of the estate on patient care, and highlights four key issues for consideration.
Blog 2020: the health policy year in 12 charts The wheels of health policy turn quickly. So, as 2021 begins Siva Anandaciva looks back at the key health policy moments of 2020 to consider the challenges and opportunities that the year brought.
Blog Health and care in 2021: what can we expect? In this first blog of the new year, Richard Murray outlines the key challenges and opportunities facing the health and care system in 2021.
Blog Careworker pay: the national living wage is not enough The national living wage is a crude and ineffective way of raising careworker pay, says Simon Bottery. We need a better way of doing it, linked to wider social care reform.
Blog A recipe for baking in collaboration? NHS England and NHS Improvement’s proposals for new legislation NHS England and NHS Improvement’s latest legislative proposals show a desire to fast forward the integration agenda, but without further detail it’s hard to reach a view. Richard Murray reflects on the proposals.
Blog What does the autumn 2020 Spending Review mean for health and care? Who were the winners and losers in the Chancellor’s autumn Spending Review? Siva Anandaciva looks at what the government’s plans promise for health and care.
Blog Twelve social care personas: which one(s) are you? Simon Bottery identifies 12 different perspectives on adult social care – and argues reform needs to accommodate as many as it can.
Blog The Comprehensive Spending Review needs to be genuinely comprehensive: and that means investing in social care As the Comprehensive Spending Review approaches, Simon Bottery says social care has a strong case for extra investment but may need to address the ‘p’ word – productivity.
Blog The Comprehensive Spending Review and Covid-19: the more we know, the less we know... How will the autumn Comprehensive Spending Review address the short-term and long-term needs of the health and care system, especially when the future is so uncertain? Jonathon Holmes considers the Chancellor’s options.
Blog Improving the nation’s health: striking the right balance between national and local Sally Warren reflects on the findings of the Health Devolution Commission, which considered the role of ‘health in all policies’ and the balance between local and national action.
Blog The new NHS and mental health: where are we going wrong? Providing joined-up services that address people’s physical and mental health needs has long been a challenge. Jihad Malasi asks whether primary care networks could be the answer to providing holistic primary care mental health services.
Blog Mental health care in the time of Covid-19 Helen Gilburt reflects on the experiences of staff and people with mental health problems during the first months of Covid-19 and urges mental health services to learn from those experiences to plan for the future.
Blog What has Covid-19 taught us about supporting workforce mental health and wellbeing? The Covid-19 outbreak has exposed gaps in psychosocial support for health care workers. Mary Docherty, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust London, considers the action needed to address those gaps and meet the needs of the workforce in the future.
Blog Shielded voices: hearing from those most in need Charlotte Augst, Chief Executive of National Voices, and Dan Wellings, Senior Fellow at The King’s Fund, make the case for including communities using services in the Covid-19 response.
Blog Tough challenges but new possibilities: shaping the post Covid-19 world with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector Lisa Weaks explores the challenges facing the VCSE sector and the importance of harnessing its expertise, workforce and reach in the Covid-19 response.
Blog Social care reform: fit for purpose or simply fit for a crisis? As the social care sector continues to feel the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak, social care reform is once again up for debate. Sally Warren outlines why any reform must have the needs of service users and staff at its heart.
Blog Tackling the Covid-19 outbreak in care homes: messages from a geriatrician and a health service researcher about how the NHS can help Covid-19 demands that there is closer working between care homes and the NHS to support residents to be safe and well. Researchers Adam Gordon and Claire Goodman reflect on the messages they are hearing from care home staff about what support is needed.
Blog Integrating health and social care in the Covid-19 (coronavirus) response The response to the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak has shown examples of real community spirit and collaboration, as well as revealing some deep-rooted differences between the NHS and the social care sector, as Richard Humphries explores.
Blog Social care can’t cope alone with the cost of the living wage The rise in the national living wage will stretch adult social care beyond its limit, says Simon Bottery. More money – and a more strategic approach to the social care workforce – is needed.
Blog One step forward for community services New standards aim to improve urgent care in the community, but how easily can they be delivered? Anna Charles considers how workforce, social care and the pace of change might pose challenges for implementing these welcome plans.
Publications: Independent research and analysis on health and social care Reports, long reads and articles.
