Blog | The King's Fund

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.

(Elective) hips don't lie: Data reveals pressures on hip replacement services

How have elective hip replacement services been affected by wider financial pressures in the NHS? James Thompson looks at what the data shows.

The impact of NHS financial pressures – a mixed picture

We know that financial and operational pressures in the NHS can affect patient care in a number of ways, but how and why does the impact vary across different service areas?

Elective treatment on the back-burner?

Financial and operational pressures in the NHS are having a significant impact on elective treatment; the 18-week waiting time standard will not be met in any month during the current financial year. James Thompson analyses the latest data and the tough choices ahead for the NHS.

Read all about it: media coverage of NHS rationing

How does the national media understand and report on rationing in the NHS, and what is the impact of this coverage? Anna Charles reports on our findings.

NHS rationing under the radar

With local health systems being told to balance their books in the middle of the biggest financial crisis in recent NHS history, Ruth Robertson considers the impact of this pressure on patients and staff.

How are NHS financial pressures affecting patient care?

Ruth Robertson looks at the ways in which NHS financial pressures can affect patient care, and the difficulties in assessing the real impact.

Assessing demand and supply in general practice

Beccy Baird shares her views on the progress of a project that will collect detailed evidence around the changes in activity in general practice over the past five years.

Is the NHS delivering enough of the right things?

Underuse happens when effective care isn’t delivered when it’s needed and it can lead to people needing more complex care as their conditions get worse. So, where might the NHS not be delivering enough of the right things?

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.

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.

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?

The principles of GP commissioning: general practices and the rationing dilemma

The British Medical Association's GPs Committee has published its 'fundamental principles' for GP commissioning - but will it help GPs to deliver high-quality care?

Can we tolerate a postcode lottery?

Variation in services has existed since the NHS began, but it will be interesting to see how the parties' greater commitment to localism will play out in practice.

Publications: Independent research and analysis on health and social care

Reports, long reads and articles.