The King's Fund position: what do we think about key health and care issues?

General election 2019

Part of The King's Fund position

Do you want to know what The King’s Fund thinks about the big issues in health and care? Here we set out our views on a range of topics, based on our research and policy analysis as well as the work we do with individuals and organisations in the health and care system.

We'll be adding more positions over the coming months.

Our position on...

NHS workforce: our position

The NHS workforce in England is in crisis: urgent action is required to tackle a vicious cycle of shortages and increased pressures on staff, which has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Health inequalities: our position

Urgent action is needed to tackle deep and long-standing health inequalities in England.

Adult social care funding and eligibility our position

The social care system remains under intense pressure with an unstable provider market, a workforce crisis, and high levels of unmet need: unless these problems are addressed, it will continue to fail the people who rely on it.

NHS waiting times: our position

Key waiting times standards have not been met for several years, with growing waiting lists and longer waiting times for patients exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

General practice: our position

Growing demand and a shortage of GPs has left general practice creaking at the seams; reform must go hand in hand with new investment to improve access to high-quality care.

NHS funding: our position

Recent increases to the NHS budget were welcome and necessary, but the systemic challenges the NHS faces, particularly around workforce pressures, have grown and the outlook for Covid-19 recovery is uncertain.

Public health: our position

The Covid-19 pandemic has reinforced the need for a much greater focus on and investment in prevention and public health.

Mental health: our position

Mental health services are receiving much-needed attention and funding after years of underinvestment and neglect, but there are still problems with access and the quality of care experienced by people using services.

Integrated care: our position

Across the health and care system, services need to be better joined-up and co-ordinated to meet people’s needs and improve their experience of care.

Digital health care: our position

Digital technologies bring many opportunities to improve people’s health and experiences of services, but realising their potential will require investment and thoughtful implementation.

NHS leadership and culture: our position

Collaborative, inclusive and compassionate leadership is essential to deliver the highest quality care for patients and tackle deep-seated cultural issues in the NHS, including unacceptable levels of work-related stress, bullying and discrimination.

Community health services: our position

The NHS long-term plan offers an opportunity to finally deliver on the longstanding ambition to provide more care closer to home, but only if commitments to increase funding and give more priority to community health services are honoured and severe workforce shortages are tackled.

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