Written as a contribution to the government's current listening exercise, this paper sets out the challenges facing the NHS and identifies the reforms we believe are needed to meet these challenges. We offer suggestions for revisions to the current Health & Social Care Bill and future policy development but we ...
The government’s proposed reforms to the health and social care system include clear aspirations for the voluntary and community sector as a provider of health services, a source of support for commissioning and a partner in tackling health inequalities. However, the reforms also present a number of challenges and risks. ...
Variations in health care in the NHS are a persistent and ubiquitous problem. But which variations are acceptable or warranted – for example, variations driven by clinical need and informed patient choice – and which are not? The important question is how to promote ‘good’ variation and minimise ‘bad’ variation. ...
Maternity services – in common with the rest of the NHS – need to focus on new ways of working to maintain and increase levels of safety and quality of care within the resources available. There are particular pressures on maternity services because of the rise in birth rates and ...
The coalition government wants to encourage health care providers to consider employee ownership, and the development of mutuals, with the aim of creating ‘the largest and most vibrant social enterprise sector in the world’ (Department of Health 2010a, p 36). These plans are part of a broader programme of public ...
The impact of funding cuts to the NHS has been widely reported and discussed, but less attention has been given to social care – and, most importantly, to the inter-relationships of health and social care. Social care funding has increased in real terms for the past decade, but there has ...
The Routes project was commissioned by The King’s Fund in partnership with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Social Care Institute for Excellence, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and the Local Government Association. and The health and social care system is currently tackling three inter-related challenges: coping with rising demand and reduced funding; handling NHS restructuring; and transforming social care. How can these challenges be seen as an opportunity to achieve fundamental change to the system? The Routes project, a simulation exercise created by ...
Studies in many industries, including health care, suggest that leadership is a critical element in organisational performance. Collins (2001) suggests that disciplined, hard-working leaders are essential to moving organisations from ‘good’ to ‘great’. Such leaders help companies to recruit the right leadership team, develop an effective strategy and create a ...
The NHS is entering a period of acute financial pressure and needs to find up to £20 billion in productivity improvements over the next few years. There are particular challenges for the many hospital trusts that enter the ‘cold’ financial climate with deficits and legacy debt. Reconfiguring Hospital Services: Lessons ...
This report reviews recent developments in thinking and action in relation to leadership in the public and voluntary sectors, based on published and in press academic literature and in observed practices on the ground. The aim of the report is to stimulate discussion about the implications for leadership for health ...