Publications

Discusses the causes of the NHS deficit in 2005/6 and considers three recent policy developments, asking what their impacts might be on NHS organisations and how they could be improved.

Our briefing on local variations in NHS spending priorities analyses newly-available data, collected by the Department of Health, on the amount spent by primary care trusts on specific disease areas.

Developing a sustainable and flexible workforce, using 'grow-your-own' approaches, could help the NHS face complex challenges as investment slows. This paper explores the conditions required to successfully implement these approaches.

Amid increasing independent and voluntary sector involvement in NHS service delivery this report highlights issues that the government and health service providers in all three sectors should address.

This briefing describes the main points contained in the 2006/7 Operating Framework and provides some commentary about what the document implies for the competing strands of NHS reform.

Drawing on evidence from five acute NHS trusts, this paper assesses the impact of the new consultant contract in England and asks whether reforms will translate into benefits for patients.

The NHS has rarely managed to balance its books exactly; in many years it has overspent, and in some it has carried a surplus. This briefing analyses what is known about the causes of current deficits.

Explores how social enterprises, particularly those with a 'mutual' structure, could add value to the provision of primary and community care and practice-based commissioning, and suggests how this system could be implemented.

How much should be spent on social care for older people over the next 20 years, and what funding arrangements are needed? Our report sets out the findings of the Wanless Social Care Review.

Examines the current situation and experiences of NEDs from BME communities in London's NHS trusts and health authorities, and asks what is required to sustain this BME representation.

This government has significantly increased investment in the NHS; if pressure to spend more continues, how can we judge the health benefits of this extra spending?

How effective is the NHS in providing accessible health care for all Britons, regardless of their ethnic or religious background? This briefing sets out the background to some of the issues.

John Appleby analyses new data to reveal how much extra NHS funding is absorbed by higher pay and other cost pressures, and how much is left over for other developments.

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.

We look at London's care market, examining trends in its population profile and in the resources and services available for older people in our paper.

Explores the experiences and aspirations of 380 international nurses working in London, and gives an overview of trends and policy on international recruitment.

We review patients' perceptions about managing their own long-term conditions, and identify how primary care trusts and other health and social care providers can best support them in line with their individual needs.

Our briefing exposes major shortcomings in the current care system for older people in London and recommends ways to address them.

Does a mixed economy work in providing care to Londoners? This paper from The King's Fund recommends how policy and practice should develop in this area.

This paper from The King's Fund outlines the factors helping or hindering the commissioning of care across London.