This briefing analyses and comments on the key proposals contained in the policy document NHS Autonomy and Accountability, which was released by the Conservative party in June 2007. The document contains the most detailed policy proposals on the NHS released by the main opposition party since the election of David ...
The Mental Health Bill proposes the introduction of supervised community treatment (SCT). Under SCT, some patients who have been compulsorily detained in hospital for treatment will, on discharge, become subject to a community treatment order (CTO) requiring them to comply with certain conditions, including taking their medication. SCT can only ...
The reconfiguration of hospital services in England has been a contentious issue. There have been local public protests against hospital closures and more recently a concerted effort by the government to communicate the clinical case for change. The final report of the NHS Next Stage Review is due for publication ...
This briefing outlines the current system of professional regulation in the UK; describes the criticisms of this system; details the government's proposals for reform; and discusses the potential strengths and weaknesses of the proposed changes [Introduction]
Practice-based commissioning (PBC) is a policy intended to give more decision-making power over NHS resources to general practitioners (GPs), and allow them to design and deliver completely new services or commission others to do so. It has a number of underlying policy objectives including delivering more cost effective and convenient ...
In 2002 the Department of Health announced a fundamental change to the way in which NHS hospitals in England are paid for the work they do. Under this new system - Payment by Results (PbR) - hospitals are reimbursed for the activity they carry out using a tariff of fixed ...
In December 2006, the Department of Health issued its second 'operating framework', The NHS in England: The operating framework for 2007/08, which provides a set of rules and guidance for NHS organisations in England for the year ahead. Aimed primarily at managers and clinical staff, the operating framework for 2007/8 ...
The NHS has moved from an overall net deficit to a net surplus within a year, according to the figures released by the government in June 2007 (Department of Health 2007), reversing a three year trend towards increasingly large gross deficits. The government argues that these latest figures show that ...
This work is the first in a series of papers on how people can be encouraged to adopt healthy behaviour. Input into these papers, through discussion and invited comment, will contribute to a final report at the end of 2008. This report, identifying programmes based on both positive and negative ...