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 (-) General practice Hospital care Maternity services Mental health New models of care Public health Leadership, systems and organisations Clinical commissioning groups Clinical leadership Equality and diversity 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 Health inequalities Older people Patient experience Patient involvement Technology and data Policy, finance and performance (-) Access to care (-) Better Care Fund Commissioning and contracting Governance and regulation Health and Social Care Act 2012 NHS finances NHS five year forward view (-) Performance Productivity Social care finances Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 (-) 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Blog The public’s view of which treatments should be available on the NHS It's hard to disagree with the principle that both costs and effects of treatments need to be weighed in order to make decisions about improving value for money and productivity. For a majority of the public however, this is not a principle they hold. Blog Improving care: what can leaders do? In organisations like hospitals, many of the answers are found among staff rather than in the executive offices and boardrooms, says Chris Ham. Blog Will the 18-week waiting time target be met by the end of the year? After the 18-week waiting time target was breached earlier this year, Jeremy Hunt announced £250 million to bring it back under control. We review the latest data to see how successful this has been so far. Blog The Better Care Fund: will the plans work? The government expects councils and NHS partners to achieve way too much, with too little, too soon, says Richard Humphries. Blog Waiting for mental health care: what does the public think? How long is it reasonable to wait for treatment of depression after being referred by a GP? The results from the 2013 British Social Attitudes Survey are revealing and suggest that public expectations exceed current policy ambitions. Blog Reshaping general practice from within What are some of the primary care innovations happening both abroad and in the UK? Nicola Walsh reflects on discussions at our recent conference on the role of general practice. Blog The Cancer Drugs Fund: inequitable and inefficient? On the face of it, the CDF would seem perhaps to be a good thing, helping improve the quality of life for people at the end of their lives. But is it either a fair or efficient way for the NHS to spend its limited budget? Blog The ups and downs on the road to health service improvement Parallels between the successful transformation of the Veterans Health Administration in the United States and the changes needed in the NHS in England have been made for a number of years. But recent troubles at the VA offer some important lessons for the NHS in the future. Blog What happens when the money runs out? If in 2013/14 the NHS struggled to maintain performance even with a recruitment round, the chances it can continue to do so with fewer, rather than more, staff look non-existent, says Richard Murray. Blog Better Care Fund, better read the small print? Although earlier rumours of the demise of the Better Care Fund – the government’s £3.8 billion pooled fund to promote integrated care – have turned out to be greatly exaggerated, the significance of the government’s latest announcement about the fund should not be. Blog NHS performance: are we really getting it right? In The Commonwealth Fund's comparative study of health system performance in 11 countries, the UK ranks first across a range of measures covering quality, access and efficiency of care. But can rankings only tell us so much? Blog Wanted: an even Better Care Fund In light of our new report on the NHS productivity challenge, Chris Ham calls for a new transformation fund to stop the NHS approaching a major financial crisis. Blog Transforming primary care The new Department of Health document, Transforming primary care, mostly looks to improve services for those with the most complex needs. But what does it tell us about transforming primary care for the rest of the population? Blog The NHS: running out of money The last time the NHS fell into deficit it came to many as something of a surprise. This time – going by the responses in our latest quarterly monitoring report – it’s looking rather predictable. Blog Innovation in Alaska: ‘walking with’ communities to achieve change Rachael Addicott looks at what we can learn from the Southcentral Foundation's system-wide transformation of care in Alaska. Blog A&E performance: a winter’s tale With due credit to the hard work of NHS staff and the hours spent on planning, A&E performance this winter is better than it was last year. But why is this? Richard Murray takes a look at the figures in a data blog. Blog What NHS Change Day 2014 was like for me Catherine Foot shares her experience of volunteering at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital – her pledge for this year's NHS Change Day. Blog Making general practice fit for the future Federations and networks of GP practices are working to deliver extended services and raise standards of care. These innovations are valuable, but much more is needed to ensure general practice really is fit for the future, says Chris Ham. Blog Transforming community services: learning from previous mistakes With an ongoing ambition to shift care out of hospitals and closer to people’s homes, what is needed to transform community services? Blog Re-allocating the money: who should lead on reforming mental health? The focus on delivering improvements in mental health care is currently dominated by how funding is allocated. But in the midst of the debate, little thought has been given to who should receive this money, and importantly how this could lead to reforming the system. Subscribe to our Weekly Update newsletterPublications: Independent research and analysis on health and social care Reports, long reads and articles.
Blog The public’s view of which treatments should be available on the NHS It's hard to disagree with the principle that both costs and effects of treatments need to be weighed in order to make decisions about improving value for money and productivity. For a majority of the public however, this is not a principle they hold.
Blog Improving care: what can leaders do? In organisations like hospitals, many of the answers are found among staff rather than in the executive offices and boardrooms, says Chris Ham.
Blog Will the 18-week waiting time target be met by the end of the year? After the 18-week waiting time target was breached earlier this year, Jeremy Hunt announced £250 million to bring it back under control. We review the latest data to see how successful this has been so far.
Blog The Better Care Fund: will the plans work? The government expects councils and NHS partners to achieve way too much, with too little, too soon, says Richard Humphries.
Blog Waiting for mental health care: what does the public think? How long is it reasonable to wait for treatment of depression after being referred by a GP? The results from the 2013 British Social Attitudes Survey are revealing and suggest that public expectations exceed current policy ambitions.
Blog Reshaping general practice from within What are some of the primary care innovations happening both abroad and in the UK? Nicola Walsh reflects on discussions at our recent conference on the role of general practice.
Blog The Cancer Drugs Fund: inequitable and inefficient? On the face of it, the CDF would seem perhaps to be a good thing, helping improve the quality of life for people at the end of their lives. But is it either a fair or efficient way for the NHS to spend its limited budget?
Blog The ups and downs on the road to health service improvement Parallels between the successful transformation of the Veterans Health Administration in the United States and the changes needed in the NHS in England have been made for a number of years. But recent troubles at the VA offer some important lessons for the NHS in the future.
Blog What happens when the money runs out? If in 2013/14 the NHS struggled to maintain performance even with a recruitment round, the chances it can continue to do so with fewer, rather than more, staff look non-existent, says Richard Murray.
Blog Better Care Fund, better read the small print? Although earlier rumours of the demise of the Better Care Fund – the government’s £3.8 billion pooled fund to promote integrated care – have turned out to be greatly exaggerated, the significance of the government’s latest announcement about the fund should not be.
Blog NHS performance: are we really getting it right? In The Commonwealth Fund's comparative study of health system performance in 11 countries, the UK ranks first across a range of measures covering quality, access and efficiency of care. But can rankings only tell us so much?
Blog Wanted: an even Better Care Fund In light of our new report on the NHS productivity challenge, Chris Ham calls for a new transformation fund to stop the NHS approaching a major financial crisis.
Blog Transforming primary care The new Department of Health document, Transforming primary care, mostly looks to improve services for those with the most complex needs. But what does it tell us about transforming primary care for the rest of the population?
Blog The NHS: running out of money The last time the NHS fell into deficit it came to many as something of a surprise. This time – going by the responses in our latest quarterly monitoring report – it’s looking rather predictable.
Blog Innovation in Alaska: ‘walking with’ communities to achieve change Rachael Addicott looks at what we can learn from the Southcentral Foundation's system-wide transformation of care in Alaska.
Blog A&E performance: a winter’s tale With due credit to the hard work of NHS staff and the hours spent on planning, A&E performance this winter is better than it was last year. But why is this? Richard Murray takes a look at the figures in a data blog.
Blog What NHS Change Day 2014 was like for me Catherine Foot shares her experience of volunteering at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital – her pledge for this year's NHS Change Day.
Blog Making general practice fit for the future Federations and networks of GP practices are working to deliver extended services and raise standards of care. These innovations are valuable, but much more is needed to ensure general practice really is fit for the future, says Chris Ham.
Blog Transforming community services: learning from previous mistakes With an ongoing ambition to shift care out of hospitals and closer to people’s homes, what is needed to transform community services?
Blog Re-allocating the money: who should lead on reforming mental health? The focus on delivering improvements in mental health care is currently dominated by how funding is allocated. But in the midst of the debate, little thought has been given to who should receive this money, and importantly how this could lead to reforming the system.
Publications: Independent research and analysis on health and social care Reports, long reads and articles.
