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The NHS in a nutshell

Essential facts and figures to understand the NHS, health and social care in England.

  • The NHS budget and how it has changed

    The NHS budget and how it has changed

    What is the NHS budget and how is it funded? Find out in our nutshell.

  • Social care in a nutshell

    Social care in a nutshell

    Unlike NHS services, social care is not free at the point of use. Find out who is eligible for publicly funded social care, how many people have requested support, and how many people's...

  • A map of England

    Health inequalities in a nutshell

    Health inequalities are avoidable, unfair and systematic differences in health between different groups of people. Here we examine the key data on this complex and wide-ranging issue.

  • Productivity in the NHS and health care sector

    Productivity in the NHS and health care sector

    What is productivity and how is it measured in the NHS and health care sector?

  • Waiting times nutshell chart

    Waiting times for elective (non-urgent) treatment: referral to treatment (RTT)

    Waiting times consistently rank as one of the public’s main concerns with the NHS. Here we explore how long patients are waiting for treatment and what impact Covid-19 has had on the num...

  • Accident and emergency (A&E) waiting times

    Accident and emergency (A&E) waiting times

    Accident and emergency (A&E) waiting times are one of the most high-profile indicators of how hospitals are performing. How is A&E performance measured and what influences how long peopl...

  • What are diagnostics, and how are diagnostics services performing?

    What are diagnostics, and how are diagnostics services performing?

    Diagnostics are tests or procedures used to identify a patient’s disease or condition and demand for these has been increasing steadily over the past decade.

  • Line chart showing NHS workforce

    NHS workforce in a nutshell

    We know the NHS is facing a workforce crisis, but how many people work in the NHS in England, what roles are they in and are they happy with their jobs? Find out in our nutshell.

  • NHS waiting times

    NHS waiting times: how are different service waiting times linked?

    NHS waiting times are one measure of quality of care. But patient waiting times in one service are often linked to those in another. What can the data tell us about these interdependenci...

  • Number of hospital beds nutshell teaser

    The number of hospital beds

    A shift in national policy towards providing care outside of hospital has seen a reduction in the number of hospital beds. How has the number of hospital beds in England changed over tim...

  • An image of bar charts rising which shows: the cost and severity of maintenance issues with NHS buildings and equipment is still growing

    Capital investment in the NHS

    The Department of Health and Social Care’s capital budget is used for research and development, and for long-term investments in building and maintaining NHS land, facilities and equipme...

  • Chart showing NHS trusts in deficit

    NHS trusts in deficit

    As part of the new five-year funding deal announced for the NHS in 2018, national NHS bodies have said that no trusts should be in deficit by 2023/24. Have they met the target?

  • Public health spending nutshell chart

    Spending on public health

    Public health services are critical for preventing disease, reducing health inequalities and improving the population’s health, for example, through helping people to quit smoking or sup...

  • Map of NHS international recruitment

    International recruitment in the NHS

    The NHS is more reliant than ever on its international workforce, but even with these staff, vacancies remain high.

  • Bar chart

    The adult social care workforce in a nutshell

    Find out more about the the make-up of the adult social care workforce, international staff, vacancies and turnover in this nutshell.

  • Activity in the NHS

    Activity in the NHS

    Over the past 10 years, it's often been stated that the NHS treats more than a million people every 36 hours. But is this statistic still true? We examine the data.

  • A close up of a line graph

    Staff shortages

    Given England’s growing and ageing population, the NHS and social care sector need a lot of staff to deliver high-quality health care or social care at the required volume. But in both s...

  • A close up on three bar charts

    Primary care services in a nutshell

    Find out more about how primary care services work, how they're funded, inequalities in access and public satisfaction with general practice and dentistry in this nutshell.

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