Publications

The scale of the difficulties facing adult social care in England means that doing nothing is no longer an option. Policy-makers need to identify which of the problems facing social care they most want to tackle, and this briefing paper is intended to aid the process by identifying and exploring those key challenges.

This report sets out the key issues facing the home care sector based on discussions with commissioners, providers and national social care organisations.

Policy-makers have outlined their ambitions to provide joined-up care closer to home and enable people to remain independent and in their own homes. Home care will be a central component of realising these ambitions. However, there are serious concerns about the state of the home care market and the quality of care service users receive.

In this joint piece with the Health Foundation and Nuffield Trust, we analyse what was announced in the 2018 Budget and what it means for health and social care.

Leaders in today’s NHS operate in a climate of extreme pressure. Staffing vacancies are rife, there are widespread challenges in meeting financial and performance targets and demands on services continue to increase. What can be done to support current leaders and encourage future ones?

Technology is rarely the saviour of health services in the way that politicians hope – at least in the short term. It takes time to implement, requires shifts in workforce, and investment – posing real dilemmas for a cash-strapped NHS.

Social care is complex, poorly understood and widely perceived as unfair – while facing unprecedented pressures. This paper explains the current pressures on social care, the impact this is having in England, and sets out the barriers and potential solutions to funding reform.

This report, commissioned by the Scottish Government in collaboration with the chief officers of integration authorities, looks how the chief officers have developed their role in the Scottish health and social care system so far.

Hypothecated funding for health and social care is back on the political agenda. This paper sets out the problems hypothecation is meant to solve – and the conditions under which it might do so – and provides a brief history of hypothecation in the UK.

Nicholas Timmins explores the fate of one of the central provisions of the Health and Social Care Act, NHS England, established as a statutorily independent board with the aim of distancing politicians from the day-to-day running of the NHS.