Publications

In 2009, the English NHS introduced a world-leading initiative in the pursuit of quality health care: the measurement of patients’ views about their own health became a routine part of the delivery of NHS-funded services. So how has this laudable initiative progressed since its initial success? The answer is, sadly, barely at all.

The LGA and ADASS invited senior figures from across the care and support sector to provide their perspective on some of the issues covered in their report, Adult social care funding: 2014 state of the nation. This is Richard Humphries' viewpoint.

The predictable and understandable reluctance to talk about higher taxation before the election means that the funding challenge facing the NHS is not being adequately addressed.

As part of the Local Government Association's new campaign, Investing in our nation’s future: the first 100 days of the next government, Richard Humphries details what the Fund would like from the next government in its first 100 days in office.

John Appleby assesses whether the policy of charging for prescriptions in England is helping or harming the NHS.

Much less emphasis should be placed on the use of external pressures, such as targets and inspection, and much greater priority should be given to reforming the NHS from within.

The government’s NHS reforms were meant to devolve power away from Whitehall. In practice the health service remains one of the most centralised in the world. Bottom-up change is urgently needed.

More money is needed – and soon – if the NHS is to avoid drifting into a financial crisis, says Richard Murray.

Rachael Addicott considers how forward thinking GPs can be more engaged in leading the radical service redesign that is required in primary care.

Hard choices have to be faced to ensure our health and social care systems meet the challenges of the 21st century, says commission chair Kate Barker

The freeing up of pension pots announced in the Budget could have unintended negative consequences for the social care system. These need to be urgently addressed.

Richard Humphries looks at how social care can meet one of this generation's biggest policy challenges in an opinion article for Community Care.

The pressure of a growing and ageing population is made all the more pressing by the financial challenges that the entire health system faces and are keenly felt within general practice.

The King’s Fund proposes a radically new approach to commissioning and funding general practice to tackle the pressure of rising demands when resources are declining.

Over the past few months there has been considerable debate and argument about plans by the NHS to collect and centrally collate details of individual patient records from general practice for the first time. Such fears are perhaps not just hypothetical given past examples of lost patient notes and what appear to be the misuse of sensitive patient information (even for the best of intentions).

The lasting impact of the reforms on mental health services and the people who use them will depend not simply on the legislation itself, but on how it is implemented, says Chris Naylor.

Richard Humphries reflects on the themes from this year's annual National Children and Adult Services Conference.

Are we asking the right questions about what public services can learn from the Olympic and Paralympic Games?

One of the principal aims of England’s Health and Social Care Act 2012 is to distance politicians from the day to day management of the NHS. This aim is being pursued by the creation of the NHS Commissioning Board, which will take responsibility for allocating resources to clinical commissioning groups and commissioning some services directly.

Chris Ham and Anna Dixon put forward that case that urgent action is needed to change how health and social care are delivered.