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 […]
This investigation sets out the system for providing vaccinations to pre-school children in England and the levels of uptake.
Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office, reported today that sick leave in the National Probation Service is running at an average of 12.3 days a year for each member of staff, directly costing £31.6 million. The difference between what is being achieved and the Service’s target of nine days amounts to 66,420 working […]
This investigation provides an account of how public money was used to increase the number of ventilators available to the NHS.
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that significant improvements have been made in HM Prison Service’s catering arrangements resulting in financial savings and improved quality of service. Since 2003-04, savings of some £2.5 million have been made each year from expenditure on food and some £1.7 million a year on […]
This report examines government’s progress in securing potential vaccines and determining how they will be deployed to the public.
The National Audit Office reported today that, four years into the 10-year NHS Cancer Plan, substantial progress has been made in meeting the Plan’s targets. The thirty-four cancer networks which have been established have achieved important improvements in delivering cancer services across England. However, the networks need to be more effective and to develop partnership […]
The challenges facing local NHS bodies are unprecedented and improved financial management will be essential to meeting them, according to a study by the National Audit Office and the Audit Commission. The report, Financial Management in the NHS, published today, is the first joint study carried out by the NAO and the Commission. It shows […]
The Department of Health and the Information Centre could not demonstrate to the National Audit Office’s satisfaction that they had achieved value for money in establishing Dr Foster Intelligence, a joint venture between the Information Centre and a private sector company Dr Foster LLP. This is primarily because they did not go out to tender […]
This investigation builds on our previous work on NHS Property Services Limited and examines the progress the Service has made.
The Department for Work and Pensions, the largest employer in central government, like other organisations loses a significant amount of staff time to sickness absence. The Department has introduced good attendance management procedures, but, according to today’s report by the National Audit Office, it could do more to ensure that these procedures are adopted by […]
This report examines the current care market and the Department of Health & Social Care’s role in overseeing it.
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that the priority afforded to stroke care by the Department of Health and the wider health service can be increased, given its impact and cost. Sir John’s report shows that notable progress has been made from a low starting point. It recommends further improvements […]
This report establishes the facts on how the government has provided accommodation for rough sleepers during COVID-19.
Sir John Bourn, the head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today on the cancellation of the Paddington Health Campus scheme in June 2005 at a cost of £15 million. The scheme was a complex and ambitious attempt to build a world-class healthcare facility and ultimately proved to be beyond the capacity of […]
This investigation looks at the 2017-18 increase in NHS spending on certain generic medicines, possible causes of the price increases in the market for generic medicines, and how the Department of Health and Social Care responded to the price increases.
This report outlines how the public service pensions landscape has changed since the Hutton Review and highlights future challenges.
The new contract for general practice has contributed to improved recruitment and retention of GPs, with numbers increasing from 26,833 to 30,931 since 2003. However, according to a report out today by the National Audit Office, the contract has cost the Department £1.76 billion more than it originally budgeted for. Today’s report found that, in […]