Health Management and Policy Alert

What health and care need from the next government: general practice and dentistry

Nuffield Trust -
This briefing looks at general practice and dentistry, two of the most visible points of contact with the NHS, both of which are struggling to meet the needs of their patients. It suggests six tests for general practice and three for dentistry that the next government must meet to tackle the problems surrounding these services.

• Briefing
• Nuffield Trust - publications

Public harms: racism and misogyny in policing, education, and mental health services

Black Equity Organisation -
This project draws together women’s experiences across three themes: mental health, policing and education. It aims to amplify the experiences of Black women who face the greatest harm within these institutions while also connecting with the broader experiences of women from other backgrounds, to reimagine a feminist, anti-racist and anti-discriminatory model for public services.

• Report
• Black Equity Organisation - publications

Workforce census reports

Royal College of Radiologists -
These two reports - one on the clinical radiology workforce and the other on clinical oncology workforce - are based on surveys of cancer centre heads and clinical directors of radiology departments. They reveal concerns on the current state of cancer care in the UK due to workforce shortages. They conclude that delays in diagnosis and treatment are putting patients' lives at risk.

• Reports
• Royal College of Radiologists - press release

More money, more choice, more of the private sector: can the next government repeat the feat of the 2000s and cut waiting times?

The Health Foundation - 
NHS waiting times are a central issue of the 2024 election campaign. Proposed solutions – more money, more staff, more use of the independent sector and strengthening patient choice – are mostly shared between the two main parties. More money, more choice and more private sector provision helped reduce median waiting times (under old measures) from 12 weeks to 5 weeks in the decade following the 1997 election. This long read analyses the data to assess whether this is possible again.

• The Health Foundation - publications

Falling through the gaps?: a closer look at NHS Continuing Healthcare

Nuffield Trust -
NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) is care funded by the NHS, but provided outside of hospital for people with significant ongoing care needs. This briefing explains how eligibility for CHC is decided, what the data tells us about eligibility and access over time, and what the impact on individuals, carers and families can be.

• Briefing

Partners for change

New Philanthropy Capital -
This report argues that, following the general election, charities and funders should be a key partner in delivering the new government’s plans to revitalise the country and can help tackle social challenges such as health inequalities. It includes eight recommendations for putting the partnership between government and charities on a strong footing, nine recommendations in priority policy areas where civil society and government can work together for change, and recommendations for charities and funders on how to support effective partnerships.

• Report
• New Philanthropy Capital - publications

A new national purpose: harnessing data for health

Tony Blair Institute for Global Change -
This report describes how large health and biomedical data sets, artificial intelligence and advances in biotechnology can improve and innovate health care, prevent disease and help people live longer, healthier lives. It looks at the challenges this could bring and suggests ways these challenges can be overcome.

• Report

Pharmacy

Health and Social Care Select Committee -
This report finds the current Community Pharmacy Funding Framework not fit for purpose and urges an overhaul to reduce its complexity. It concludes that a new framework is necessary to deliver adequate funding and prevent damaging cross-subsidy between clinical services and prescription dispensing as is currently the case. Reductions in core funding to community services of 30% since 2015 equates to an annual shortfall, per pharmacy, of between £67,000 and £100,000.

• Report
• Health and Social Care Select Committee - news

Corridor care: unsafe, undignified, unacceptable

Royal College of Nursing -
This report reveals that more than 1 in 3 (37 per cent) nursing staff working in typical hospital settings delivered care in inappropriate settings, such as corridors, on their last shift. The report shares the results of a survey of almost 11,000 frontline nursing staff across the UK. It calls for mandatory national reporting of patients being cared for in corridors, to reveal the extent of hospital overcrowding, as part of a plan to eradicate the practice.

• Report
• Royal College of Nursing - press release