Alcohol-related ill-health is an increasing burden for the National Health Service. Alcohol misuse costs the health service in the order of £2.7 billion a year, but efforts to address it locally are not in general well-planned, the National Audit Office reported today. The Department of Health is however raising the profile of alcohol misuse by […]
Fire and rescue authorities have managed funding reductions well. The Department for Communities and Local Government should, however, seek greater assurance that authorities are maintaining service standards and delivering value for money locally
The Department of Health is on track to meet most of the key targets identified in a review of its arm’s length bodies, according to a report out today by the National Audit Office. By the end of 2007-08, expenditure will have reduced by £555 million, against the target of £500 million. And the number […]
This is the second NAO report on government’s approach to test and trace services in England.
This report looks at backlogs and waiting times for elective and cancer care in the NHS in England.
We record government’s progress in ensuring health and social care supplies should the UK leave the EU without a deal.
This report provides our initial thoughts on the learning government can draw from its response to COVID-19 to date.
This report considers the effectiveness of the UK government’s cross-border travel measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This report covers recent trends in pressures on children’s social care demand and activity and national and local government’s response.
This page is part of our decommissioning toolkit. Commissioners need to understand what the drivers for change are and the motivations that lead to decommissioning. This will have an impact on the process of decommissioning and other factors such as timescales and levels of engagement with stakeholders. Our research found a wide set of drivers […]
The report sets out central government’s risk analysis, planning, and mitigation strategies prior to the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic
Despite a steeply rising trend in cases of dementia, the condition is being given too low a priority by health and social services, according to a report out today by the National Audit Office. Too few people are being diagnosed, or being diagnosed early enough, and early interventions known to be cost-effective are not being […]
The government has made a commitment to improve support for young people leaving foster or residential care in England but the system is not working effectively.
The Department of Health & Social Care’s role in overseeing the adult social care workforce.
We report on our investigation arising from the findings of Internal Audit for the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman regarding the management of conflicts of interest in procuring services during a fundamental change programme.
The NHS as a whole achieved a net surplus of £515 million in 2006-07, compared with a net deficit of £547 million in 2005-06, according to a report out today by the National Audit Office. The NHS Summarised Accounts show that in 2006-07 287 NHS organisations reported a gross surplus of £1,431 million (2005-06: 357 […]
Crisis Resolution Home Treatment teams are having a positive impact on local acute mental health services, providing an alternative to hospital admission for people experiencing a short-term mental health crisis. But a report out today by the National Audit Office found that services are being limited by a lack of input from specialist health and […]
GPs could prescribe lower cost clinically effective medicines without affecting patient care, according to Parliament’s spending watchdog. And this could save primary care trusts (PCTs) more than £200 million a year. Today’s report by the National Audit Office also points out that unused or wasted drugs could cost the NHS at least £100 million a […]
The new system of regulating financial services will need to demonstrate in future that the cost of two regulators achieves value for money for customers.