Head of the National Audit Office Sir John Bourn has qualified his opinion on the accounts of NHS Direct for the year up to 31 March 2005 because of a lack of evidence to support a significant number of payroll payments. A second reason for the qualification was a lack of evidence to support comparative […]
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 examines waiting time standards for elective and cancer treatment and factors associated with performance in meeting these standards.
This update was prepared for the Public Accounts Committee. It outlines the government’s approach to tackling obesity in England.
This investigation sets out the facts relating to government procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic up to 31 July 2020.
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 sets out the role, costs and performance of CCGs, the changing commissioning landscape and the future of CCGs.
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 […]
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 […]
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 report examines the Department’s support for children’s education during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report examines progress that the Department of Health & Social Care, NHS England, NHS Improvement and other stakeholders are making in reducing the impact of emergency admissions on acute hospitals. The report takes a whole-system approach, and looks at action across acute, primary, community and social care systems.
This memorandum was prepared by the National Audit Office at the request of the Public Accounts Committee. It looks at the progress made since the government published its adult autism strategy in March 2010.
This is our eighth report on the financial sustainability of the
NHS.
Malaria is a serious health risk. Further progress in the fight against the disease will depend on a growth in commitment and capacity from countries receiving UK aid.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]