Publications | The King's Fund

A year of integrated care systems: reviewing the journey so far

Integrated care systems represent a fundamental and far-reaching change in how the NHS works across different services and with external partners. This report is based on interviews with eight of the ‘first wave’ ICSs to understand how they are developing and to identify lessons for local systems and national policy-makers.

The NHS 10-year plan: how should the extra funding be spent?

The government has announced increases in NHS funding and has asked the NHS to come up with a 10-year plan for how this funding will be used. After eight years of austerity, there is now an opportunity to tackle the issues that matter most to patients and communities and to improve health and care.

The public and the NHS: what's the deal?

In March 2018 The King’s Fund and Ipsos MORI carried out a series of discussion events with the public to explore people's views on the relationship between the public and the NHS. This report sets out the findings.

A funding boost for the NHS in England

Now the government must decide how to fund social care, says Chris Ham.

Talking leadership: transforming mental health services

Mandip Randhawa writes about the challenges of transforming mental health services for children and young people.

Autumn Budget 2017: what it means for health and social care

As the dust begins to settle after the Autumn Budget, we reconvene with the Nuffield Trust and The Health Foundation to look at what was announced and what it really means for health and social care.

NHS mythbusters

NHS myth-busters

The debate about how to fund the NHS is never far from the headlines. Here we examine some of the claims made.

Does the NHS need more money?

In recent years, spending on the NHS has been protected while other budgets have been subject to significant cuts. Despite this, health services are facing unprecedented financial and operational pressures. Does the NHS need more money?

Simon Stevens speaks out over NHS funding

Chris Ham looks at Simon Stevens' unprecedented public intervention on NHS funding and what might happen next.

Embedding a culture of quality improvement

Our report explores the factors that have helped NHS organisations launch and sustain a quality improvement strategy.

The Autumn Budget: joint statement on health and social care

Nuffield Trust, the Health Foundation and The King’s Fund are urging the government to address the critical state of health and social care in its forthcoming Autumn Budget.

What is happening to waiting times in the NHS?

We examine the big issues and recent NHS performance on waiting times.

How is the NHS performing? November 2017: Quarterly Monitoring Report

Performance against a number of key indicators is worse than at this time last year, and finances remain precarious despite an emergency funding injection.

State of health and care in England

Services are at full stretch and struggling to maintain standards, says Chris Ham.

Making the case for quality improvement: lessons for NHS boards and leaders

At a time of significant financial and operational pressure, local and national NHS leaders need to focus on improving quality and delivering better-value care. We make the case for quality improvement and share lessons for NHS boards and leaders.

Patient in hospital bed

NHS hospital bed numbers: past, present, future

The number of NHS hospital beds in England has more than halved over the past 30 years. This briefing examines the data on hospital beds, explores the drivers underpinning the changes observed and considers whether STPs’ proposed bed reductions are realistic.

Making an impact: Matthew’s story

We talk to Matthew Lanham, Chief Executive of the Neuromuscular Centre – a charity that won a GSK IMPACT Award in recognition of its work to improve people's health.

Diagram of NHS commissioning cycle

What is commissioning and how is it changing?

Commissioning is the process by which health and care services are planned, purchased and monitored. Here we look at the commissioning process in more detail, the organisations involved and how it is changing.

What does the public think about the NHS?

As part of our project on the changing relationship between the NHS and the public, the Fund commissioned some initial polling from Ipsos MORI. The results are in.

Sustainability and transformation plans in London: an independent analysis of the October 2016 STPs (completed in March 2017)

Sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) are key to the future of health and care services. This report, commissioned by the Mayor of London and based on work completed in March 2017, looks at the five STPs in London, their contents and common themes.

Funding application form and coins

Building resilience and sustainability – tips for charity leaders

Our work with charities through the GSK IMPACT Awards has highlighted some of the most common challenges they face. Here we share 10 key pieces of advice for charity leaders, based on the knowledge and insight we have gained.

Modelling excellence in the charity sector: learning from 20 years of the GSK IMPACT Awards

This report explores the work of small to medium-sized health and wellbeing charities that have won GSK IMPACT Awards, identifying their characteristics and capabilities and looking at the common factors contributing to organisational effectiveness.

Talking leadership: Mark Redhead on the Top Manager Programme

As we launch a new scheme for alumni of our Top Manager Programme, Mark Redhead talks to us about his experience of the programme and how he is applying what he learned to his work.

Developing accountable care systems: lessons from Canterbury, New Zealand

The health system in Canterbury, New Zealand, has undertaken a significant programme of transformation over the past decade. Our report considers lessons that the NHS can learn as it embarks on its own journey of transformation.

Blog: Comment and analysis on the key issues in health and social care

All blog posts from The King's Fund.

Health and care explained: How does the health and care system work? How is it changing?

This selection of content aims to make sense of the health and care system – including videos, articles, illustrated summaries and more.