Health Management and Policy Alert

Technology in social care: spotlight on the English policy landscape, 2019-2022

Centre for Care - 

This paper explores policy developments relevant to care and technologies between 2019 and 2022, analysing recent changes to funding structures, strategic priorities and government organisations.

• Working paper
• More detail

Connected: remote technology in mental health services

Centre for Mental Health - 

This briefing summarises evidence from six studies on the use of digital and telephone technology to deliver mental health services. It finds that using remote technology can improve access to mental health support for rural communities, disabled people or people needing a specialist service far from home. It has the potential to increase access and choice in mental health care. But it also risks exacerbating inequalities for people who are digitally excluded.

• Briefing
• More detail

Understanding the fundamental role of racism in ethnic inequities in Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy

Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity - 

The briefing from the Runnymede Trust and the University of Manchester’s Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity uses data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study to show that institutional and community-level factors, driven by structural and institutional racism, explain the large majority of ethnic inequities in vaccination rates.

• Briefing
• Press release

Recovering elective waits inclusively: where to start?

The King's Fund - 

In this blog, Beth Sutherland (NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme trainee at The King's Fund) shares early findings from a new project looking at how the NHS can combine the aims of clearing the elective backlog and tackling health inequalities.

• Blog

Unfair to care: understanding the social care 2022—23 pay gap and how to close it

Community Integrated Care - 

This report finds that social care workers would need a 41 per cent pay rise – equalling £8,036 – to have parity with their direct equivalents within the NHS – Band 3 Healthcare Assistants. It demonstrates that modern frontline social care requires complex technical and emotional skills, to effectively support people who commonly have complex medical and behavioural needs, proving that social care is significantly undervalued. With the cost-of-living crisis meaning that many people are no longer able to accept a job that is vocationally rewarding for significantly less pay than they could immediately command elsewhere, the sector is facing an unprecedented talent drain resulting in 165,000 vacancies on any given day.

• Report
• Press release

Are local authorities equal partners in statutory integrated care systems?

The King's Fund - 

Chris Naylor, Senior Fellow at The King's Fund, considers the role local authorities are playing in integrated care systems, and how these partnerships are navigating some of the complex issues they face.

• Blog

Proposed update to the 2023 statutory scheme to control the costs of branded health service medicines

Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) - 

The DHSC is seeking views on a proposed update to the payment percentage for the statutory scheme for branded medicine pricing, particularly from the pharmaceutical industry and NHS patients. The consultation closes at 11:45pm on 26 January 2023.

• Consultation document
• Respond online

A vision for pharmacy professional practice in England

Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) - 

This document, produced in partnership with The King’s Fund, outlines key ambitions for the future of pharmacy in England over the next decade. It sets out how pharmacy teams can support better patient care and address key challenges facing the nation’s health. It calls for the complete integration of pharmacy professionals across health and care systems to enable a transformation in patient care, supported by a comprehensive pharmacy workforce strategy, improved use of data and research to drive better patient outcomes, and strong skilful leadership and collaboration to inform professional practice.

• Report
• Press release

Health and Brexit: six years on

Nuffield Trust - 

This report finds that Brexit and its changing relationships with neighbouring countries are exacerbating the severe challenges facing health and social care in the UK today in terms of staffing, accessing essential medicines, and the overall economic picture.

• Report
• Press release

Double vision: a roadmap to double medical school places

Policy Exchange -
This report develops a detailed and costed roadmap to enable 15,000 medical students a year to enrol on courses in England by 2029. It identifies seven pathways to enable this, with recommendations including the opening of 12-15 new medical schools over the coming decade; expanding and diversifying the talent pool, including an expansion of graduate entry places; expanding the role of innovation including the use of simulation-based learning and ‘virtual placements’; and to improve alignment between placement providers, medical schools and the wider health system through the development of Placement Planning Boards.

• Report
• Policy Exchange - publications