This paper responds to the Health Select Committee's inquiry into the future of social care funding and the case for major reform of the existing system.
This is a consultancy report by The King's Fund for the Rheumatology Futures Group, a consortium of the main patient, professional and pharmaceutical organisations involved in rheumatoid arthritis care. and Improving the quality of care for patients with long-term conditions is a priority at national and local levels in the NHS. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, progressive and disabling autoimmune condition that affects around 420,000 people in the United Kingdom. RA is associated with substantial health, social and economic ...
This consultation response includes the following overarching observations. First, it is vital that reform addresses the significant overall underfunding of adult social care and the high levels of unmet need. Second, the challenge is not simply about responding to additional numbers of older people. It is also about addressing the ...
The emphasis given in New Horizons to the prevention of mental illness and the promotion of positive mental health is welcome, but this must not be allowed to compromise the availability or quality of acute care. Evidence on the cost-effectiveness of proposals is needed, particularly with regard to preventive approaches. ...
The Marmot Consultation provides a range of evidence on proposals which will reduce health inequalities. Improved partnerships and working across services will be extremely valuable in reducing health inequalities. There is a real opportunity for the DH, nationally, and the NHS, locally, to use their experience and knowledge to act ...
World Class Commissioning is a policy that seeks to bring a "step change" in the capacity and capability of primary care trusts to act as effective commissioners. However, the enduring weakness of commissioning is unlikely to be addressed by WCC alone. It is not just a matter of aligning incentives; ...
This response presents a number of reservations about whether the policy objectives behind the introduction of quality accounts – to drive quality improvement and increase public accountability - can be achieved and includes comments about the detail of the proposals.