Time to Think Differently

The future is now

Featuring the voices of patients, volunteers, clinicians and managers, our new digital report explores future ways of changing health and health care for the better.

Future trends

Demography: future trends

Changes in the size and make-up of the English population, as well as trends in life expectancy, changing households and health inequalities, over the next 20 years.

Healthy behaviours: Future trends

We explore some of the most significant health-related behaviours, their impact on our health and wellbeing, and how they are changing over time in England.

Disease and disability: Future trends

This section looks at disease in the population and how this is likely to change over the next 20 years, including trends in mortality rates, chronic disease, and the interdependence between mental and physical health problems.

Workforce: Future trends

In this section we look at the future health and social care workforce.

Public attitudes and expectations: Future trends

In this section we look at public expectations of health and social care services and how these may change in the future.

Broader determinants of health: Future trends

We explore how the complex interaction between individual characteristics, lifestyle and the physical, social and economic environment is changing, and how that will affect future trends in health.

Medical advances: Future trends

We review some of the key areas for medical advances over the next 20 years, including pharmaceutical, surgical and regenerative medicine.

Information technologies: Future trends

In this section we look at trends affecting the future of information technologies and their wider use in health care.

Sustainable services: Future trends

We summarise some of the ways in which the health care system of the future is likely to be affected by climate change.

Economic pressures: Future trends

In this section we explore the current economic context and what past and future trends in health care spending look like.

Disclaimer about the trends work: The King's Fund makes every possible effort to ensure that the information published on its Time to Think Differently website is accurate and up to date.
The research for the trend analysis and related products, such as infographics, was carried out from March to September 2012. In light of new research, publications or data updates by the main sources we have used, the trend analysis presented may become out of date.
The King's Fund does not accept any responsibility for errors or omissions and reserves the right to make amendments at any time and without prior notice.