The King's Fund's written briefing in advance of the Chancellor's Autumn Statement to parliament, calling for an additional £2 billion in funding for the NHS to prevent a financial crisis in 2015/16.
The NHS is facing huge pressures as a result of an ongoing funding squeeze, rising demand for services and the need to safeguard quality of care following the Francis report.
The briefing says that without the additional £2 billion, staff numbers will be cut, waiting times will rise and quality of care will deteriorate, leaving patients to bear the cost.