Publications

Through in-depth interviews with GPs, hospital and primary care trust staff in four sites, this report assesses the progress of practice-based commissioning (PBC) and identifies the barriers that are limiting success.

The King's Fund has scrutinised the dream of polyclinics and urges planners to be cautious.

The Department of Health commissioned The King's Fund and Loop2 to undertake a simulation-based project to consider the shift in the balance of care from hospital to community settings.

Presents the views of doctors and other health professionals on the many challenges to their roles, the way they practise and the nature of their professionalism.

We share the lessons from a pilot programme launched in 2006 to improve environments for care at end of life, with experiences from eight pilot sites.

This paper provides a descriptive analysis of the impact and costs of new services as part of the Marie Curie Delivering Choice Programme, launched in 2004.

Ruth Robertson, Anna Dixon and Julian Le Grand consider the factors that explain patient satisfaction with general practice physicians and how this may drive patients' choice of practice.

The case for change in the health service is irrefutable, argues Niall Dickson, but strong managerial and clinical leadership, astute financial planning and significant changes in working practices will be needed to ensure Lord Darzi's review is truly a 'once in a generation opportunity'.

Financial instability is just one reason for failure in the NHS. This paper explores how failure can be prevented or managed, while protecting the quality of patient care and restoring viability.

How will primary care be affected by the changing role of primary care trusts and the introduction of both practice-based commissioning and competition between providers?

Drawing on a two-year research project carried out by UCH, this publication examines palliative care provision in London, looking at how services vary between PCTs.