Blog | The King's Fund

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Rekindling hope in public services

Ahead of the publication of our report on the Wigan Deal, Chris Naylor explores how devolving power to frontline staff and service users can create the positive culture needed for improvement.

A significant moment for general practice

A new five-year contract for general practice has been announced, with an increase in funding and plans to transform GP services. Beccy Baird and Anna Charles give their take on the key things you need to know.

Social prescribing: a part of something bigger

Beccy Baird highlights how social prescribing must fit within a well-connected and sufficiently-funded system if it is to be successful.

How can community involvement reduce health inequalities?

Can community involvement in Morecambe Bay help reduce health inequalities that have existed over decades?

Planning for a national centre for arts and health

Sarah Gregory explores the issues around co-producing a plan to establish a national centre for arts and health.

What can cities in England learn from other countries about population health?

As we publish a new report on population health, Chris Naylor asks whether it is time for cities to have more powers to improve the health of their populations.

Multiple unhealthy risk factors: why they matter and how practice is changing

Harry Evans discusses why we need to take a holistic approach to supporting behaviour change and looks at how services are innovating to tackle multiple unhealthy risk factors.

Transforming general practice through volunteering

Transforming general practice through volunteering

In a guest blog to accompany our volunteering report, Kay Keane shares her experience of developing a community-centred general practice approach through building a community of volunteers.

Making the most of our assets: the time has come to realise the full potential of community services

In the context of the current unprecedented pressures on the NHS, it is now more important than ever that everyone involved in the health and care system pays proper attention to community services and all they have to offer.

Realising the potential of allied health professions

In this guest blog, speech and language therapist Joanne Fillingham makes the case for a stronger leadership role for allied health professionals (AHPs).

Taking the right approach to community-based health services

Beccy Baird reflects on perceived public feeling towards the proposal that the NHS should invest in community-based health care rather than hospitals.

District nursing – it’s not just an injection…

Rebecca Myers, a community staff nurse in London, shares her thoughts on what good care looks like in district nursing services.

Out of the spotlight: what we don’t know about district nursing services

How much do we know about district nursing services? Anna Charles reflects on the challenges of assessing the volume and quality of care being delivered in people's homes.

Community-based care: an elusive strategy?

In the current financial climate, can the NHS shift care from the acute sector into community settings? Richard Murray considers the possibility.

The future of social care

With the latest NHS England figures for delayed transfers of care reinforcing concerns about the impact of funding restrictions on social care services, Patrick Hall considers working towards better social care provision for future generations.

Learning about patients’ experiences of care in their own homes

Jo Maybin looks at the challenges and rewards of researching the experiences of older people who receive district nursing care.

Supporting community providers to manage and improve quality

Community services are a vital part of delivering co-ordinated care, and could be the answer to many of the health service’s woes in the future, says Bev Fitzsimons.

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?

Let’s hear it for allied health professionals

It is impossible to deliver effective care without the crucial contribution of highly trained allied health professionals. Yet, whenever the quality of health care is debated, these vital staff are written out of the conversation.

Shifting care closer to home: slogan or solution?

Nigel Edwards concludes our look at the relocation of care, considering whether shifting care closer to home is always the best solution.

Publications: Independent research and analysis on health and social care

Reports, long reads and articles.