The King's Fund blog: health policy, NHS leadership, health and social care

Interoperability and the NHS: are they incompatible?

Ensuring different IT systems work efficiently together is essential for improving integrated care for patients in the health and social care systems. David Maguire considers progress to date and future challenges.

HIV is back on the front pages

Following this week's landmark court ruling on the funding of HIV prevention drug PrEP, Alex Baylis considers the complex system of fragmented responsibilities for HIV services.

Mental health and general practice: intertwined futures

Following the recent publication of NHS England's implementation plan for The five year forward view for mental health, Chris Naylor considers the prospects for better integration of mental health care with general practice.

The consequences of living within your means

The Department of Health's annual accounts, published last week, were further evidence of the increasingly serious financial crisis facing the NHS. Helen McKenna considers the outlook as measures are put in place to restore financial control.

A common cause: working towards collaboration

Patrick Hall considers the steps being taken towards a more collaborative culture across the social care system.

End-of-life care: getting it right for more people, more of the time

David Oliver considers some of the positive steps being made towards improving end-of-life care.

Taking control of our social care system

Richard Humphries considers the findings of the annual budget survey published this week by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), and a social care system in trouble.

Put GPs at the centre of the NHS commissioning roadmap

Ruth Robertson outlines the importance of involving GPs in commissioning and planning in the NHS if we are to meet the challenges of transforming care and balancing finances.

A new and powerful relationship with patients

Marcus Powell considers how, in a digital world, patients can embrace the opportunity to become partners and share in the decision-making that affects their care.

The training and development needs of the health charity sector: what 20 years' experience tells us

As the 2017 GSK IMPACT Awards open for applications, programme manager Lisa Weaks considers what we've learnt about the training and development needs of the health charity sector.

The NHS if: challenging questions for the future

Hugh Alderwick takes a look at a new series of essays, commissioned by The King's Fund, that explores hypothetical scenarios for the future of health and social care.

Dealing with NHS financial pressures – what do the public think?

Ruth Robertson and John Appleby examine data from NatCen's British Social Attitudes survey to reveal what the public think about the NHS and its financial problems.

Challenging traditional relationships and embracing shared decision-making

After a busy few days at NHS Confederation conference, Marcus Powell reflects on how the health service can build a new relationship with patients.

What can England learn from Scotland?

Why is it more difficult than ever for older people to leave hospital? It's time to leave competitive behaviour behind and embrace the chance to learn from experiences in other UK health systems, says Chris Ham. The NHS in England could learn from improvement programmes under way in Scotland.

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.

Three versions of the NHS

As health care leaders gather this week for the NHS Confederation annual conference, Chris Ham reflects on different versions of the NHS and how these can be combined to secure a sustainable future for the health service.

Public accountability needs to be at the heart of NHS reform

The need has never been greater for transparency and community involvement in decisions about how to manage changes to health and care services, says Alex Baylis.

Is the UK spending more than we thought on health care (and much less on social care)?

John Appleby takes a look at the latest figures for health and social care spending and asks what new accounting rules mean for the UK's position in international health spending rankings.

Is strategic commissioning the future for the NHS?

Clinical commissioning is changing in response to financial and operational pressures, and the implementation of new care models. Chris Ham considers whether strategic commissioning is the way forward.

Careless talk costs lives: noise in hospitals

Hong-Anh Nguyen explores the Fund's historical work on improving patient experience, including the issue of noise in hospitals.

Publications: Independent research and analysis on health and social care

Reports, long reads and articles.