Blog | The King's Fund

A transformation fund for the NHS

Over the coming months The King’s Fund and The Health Foundation will be exploring the concept of a transformation fund. How big does such a fund need to be? And how should it be spent so that it supports real change at scale across the NHS?

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.

Contracting for integrated care – what happens once the ink is dry?

Commissioners, providers and policy-makers are showing a lot of interest in new contracting models currently being implemented. However, the contract is often seen as an end in itself rather than a tool for encouraging new ways of working.

What impact are senior leadership vacancies having on the already financially troubled NHS?

To deliver high-quality, compassionate care one, often overlooked, part of the equation is how to identify, recruit and retain the current and future senior leaders needed to take on this leadership challenge.

What does the Autumn Statement mean for health and social care?

As the dust settles on the Chancellor's Autumn Statement, this is a good time to review what it told us. I think it contained three big messages: one on money, one on reform, and one on social care.

Has Dalton found a way forward for struggling organisations?

Encouraging leaders to take on new responsibilities will be challenging at a time when financial pain is driving many organisations to focus inwards rather than outwards, says Chris Naylor.

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.

Fundraising for London's hospitals: digitising our history

As we approach an election period when funding for hospitals will be a major issue, it's interesting to reflect on how the great London hospitals were established and funded before the NHS was founded.

The public’s views of public health interventions

If population health is to be protected, funding for the NHS needs to be safeguarded, but other budgets, for housing, education and leisure facilities, are important too. When it comes to investing in public health measures, which interventions do the public favour?

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.

The reconfiguration of clinical services is an important but insufficient approach

Our research highlights major gaps in the evidence for the reconfiguration of clinical services.

Power to the people

The case for change is clear; a system that listens to patients and enables them to achieve what they want to achieve in their health and wellbeing would improve outcomes and save money. But such systems still exist only in pockets around the country.

Stories and numbers: there is room for both in understanding patients’ experience

If we are seeking to truly understand health care, it is not numbers or stories, but numbers and stories that are needed, says Bev Fitzsimons.

This patient’s experience

I had watched One Born Every Minute and kept my eyes open; I’d attended NCT classes and yoga workshops; I’d done my reading. None of this really prepared me for the extreme pain and joy involved in giving birth to my first child, but it helped a bit. What I was absolutely unprepared for was the experience of being a hospital inpatient.

How will we staff new models of care in the NHS?

While many policy-makers focus on organisational structures, it is clear that successful implementation of the NHS five year forward view will hinge on getting the staffing right.

The role of the NHS in tackling poverty and the wider determinants of health

Despite all the pressures, the NHS remains, and will continue to remain, a massive economic and social entity. Are we making the most of this enormous power?

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.

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.

Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence

What impact can feeling silenced and disempowered have on staff and the way they treat their patients?

A patient perspective: we can’t afford to be patient about involvement any longer

As a person and a patient, I care deeply about involvement. I know it helps me as a patient to live more sustainably with my health conditions and I know that, in turn, can help the NHS to exist more sustainably too.

Publications: Independent research and analysis on health and social care

Reports, long reads and articles.