This ‘think piece’ draws on our past work highlighting the barriers that prevent health and social care services working together effectively, examples of joint working and the move towards services centred on the needs of the individual, to inform the ongoing debate about the future of health and social care in England.
The 2003 contract for hospital consultants delivered many expected benefits, but there is room for improvement in how trusts manage their consultants.
These case studies illustrate how four government bodies are managing the risk of their legacy ICT systems (that is, typically older ICT systems critical for the delivery of public services).
Our investigation focuses on the delivery, performance, oversight and progress implementing change on four health screening programmes.
The NHS is not making the most of its spending power to save money in purchasing medical equipment and consumables.
Have you ever had the frustration of having to provide the same information about yourself to different government services? Have you ever had to make decisions without information about what does and doesn’t work? Data is fundamental to delivering public services, improving systems and processes, and supporting sound decisions – but accessing accurate data is […]
A review of how NHS Health Checks are provided in England is needed to improve the system for preventing cardiovascular disease.
We’re excited to announce that Catherine Hope-MacLellan has joined us as our new Chief People Officer.
This investigation covers how the UK government determines the amount of funding it allocates to the devolved administrations.
The NHS made a substantial amount of efficiency savings in 2011-12. These will need to be sustained and built on if savings targets are to be met.
The Trust board’s poor financial management and procurement of an unaffordable PFI scheme have left the Trust in a critical financial position.
The first private company awarded a franchise to run an NHS hospital has made improvements in some clinical areas, but big financial challenges remain.
Since we first published our Framework to review programmes in 2017 there has been no let-up in NAO reports on major projects and programmes, most recently on Crossrail, the Emergency Services Network and the Stonehenge by-pass road. From the need to manage the risks of untried approaches to signs warning of unrealistic cost estimates, this […]
The cost of clinical negligence in trusts is significant and rising fast, placing increasing financial pressure on an already stretched system.
We all rely on local public services to be able to function in our day-to-day lives, and in these challenging times, we’re even more reliant on those services. Whether from local authorities, local NHS organisations police forces and fire and rescue organisations, to keep us safe and take care of us should we need it. […]
Diabetes care in the NHS is poor, with low achievement of treatment standards, high numbers of avoidable deaths and annual spending reaching an estimated £3.9 billion.
The NAO has reported on the 2022-23 accounts of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
2019 will be a pivotal year for local government in England. Numerous difficult and open-ended questions need rapid resolution, at a time when government focus and capacity is directed elsewhere. Drawing on a number of our recent reports, here I explore some of the challenges facing the sector, from budget cuts and growing social care […]
Government does not know how many people in prison have a mental illness, how much it is spending on mental health in prisons or whether it is achieving its objectives. It is therefore hard to see how Government can be achieving value for money in its efforts to improve the mental health and well being of prisoners. In 2016 there were 40,161 incidents of self-harm in prisons and 120 self-inflicted deaths.
The NHS delivered a £2.1bn surplus in 2011-12 but there is some financial distress in NHS trusts with some very large deficits.