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.

Dr Kin Yee Shiu, a consultant in nephrology and acute/general medicine at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, talks about her experience of our Leadership for consultants programme and the challenge of leading change.

Suzie Bailey and Saffron Cordery from NHS Providers reflect on the findings of our joint report and the challenge of recruiting and retaining leadership roles.

The role of leaders is changing as we move towards integrated care, with significant efforts needed to build a pipeline of leaders, say Saffron Cordery and Suzie Bailey.

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?

The 70th anniversary of the NHS is an opportunity to reflect on its enduring popularity and to ask what people can expect from the service and what their obligations are in return, says Chris Ham.

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.

In light of recent announcements, Harry Evans argues it is now time for the NHS to step out of the shadow of past implementation failures.

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.

Taj Hassan answers questions about how clinicians are contributing to transformational change in the NHS.

Ben Collins reflects on opportunities to accelerate the adoption of service innovation in the NHS, drawing on findings from eight case studies of successful spread of innovation in the NHS.