Health Management and Policy Alert

What does the autumn statement mean for public services?

Institute for Government -
This report sets out the impact of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s plans on four service areas: the NHS, schools, the criminal justice system and local government. It warns that while frontloading funding in protected areas shields them from the damaging ‘austerity 2.0’ feared, this is still unlikely to enable key services like the NHS to return performance to pre-pandemic levels this parliament. It also suggests that unless historic pay cuts are addressed, it may not be enough to improve recruitment and retention or avert widespread strikes.

• Report
• Institute for Government - publications

How does UK health spending compare across Europe over the past decade?

The Health Foundation - 

This analysis finds that over the last decade the UK spent around a fifth less on average than the EU14 on day-to-day health care costs per person.

• Analysis

Austerity 2.0: why it’s critical for our health that the government learns the lessons of Austerity 1.0

The King's Fund -
On 17 November, the government will announce its Autumn Statement. What will this mean for public services and all of us who use them? Sally Warren from The King's Fund shares important lessons from the past that the new Chancellor must heed, as we head into Austerity 2.0.

• Blog
• The King's Fund - blogs

Public health grant: what it is and why greater investment is needed

The Health Foundation - 

Investment in prevention represents excellent value for money compared with health care spend. Yet recent announcements have continued the trend of disinvesting in the wider funding that helps to maintain and improve people’s health. The public health grant has been cut by 24 per cent on a real-terms per person basis since 2015/16.

• Analysis

The potential for payment reform to influence emergency admissions: the case of blended payment in the English NHS

Centre for Health Economics -
This research paper investigates hospitals' inclination to admit patients who attend their Accident and Emergency Departments. It considers the potential impact of the blended payment reform on emergency admissions.

• Research paper
• Centre for Health Economics - publications

Rising living costs: the impact on NHS, staff and patients

NHS Providers - 

This survey of NHS trusts leaders looks at the impact rising living costs are having on the health service, staff and patients.

• Briefing
• Press release

Payment reform, purchaser and provider decisions and the performance of emergency healthcare systems: the case of blended payment in the English NHS

Centre for Health Economics - 

This paper constitutes the first and foundational output of the ESHCRU2 project 3 - Analysis of purcher-provider contracts: modelling risk sharing and incentive implications. This project focuses on the implications of payment reform of what is called blended payment for emergency care. The paper sets out the theoretical model developed to understand how behavioural choices could be influenced by this payment reform.

• Paper
• More detail

Evidence on costs associated with NHS-funded nursing care in 2021 to 2022

Department of Health and Social Care - 

This document sets out evidence of the cost to care homes of providing NHS-funded nursing care. This evidence was used to inform the setting of the 2022 to 2023 NHS-funded nursing care rate and retrospective increase on the 2021 to 2022 rate.

• Report
• More detail

NHS Providers: new hospital programme survey

NHS Providers -
To understand trusts' experience and progress to date, NHS Providers carried out a survey of trusts currently included within the new hospital programme covering questions around funding, delays and the value of the programme. Nearly two in three leaders who responded said delays to the programme affected their ability to deliver safe and effective patient care, with all those facing delays reporting cost implications.

• Briefing
• NHS Providers - news

Department of Health and Social Care 2020–21 annual report and accounts

House of Commons Public Accounts Committee -
This report finds that the Department for Health & Social Care lost 75 per cent of the £12 billion it spent on personal protective equipment (PPE) in the first year of the pandemic to inflated prices and kit that did not meet requirements – including fully £4 billion of PPE that will not be used in the NHS and needs to be disposed of. The report also voices concerns about the risk of further payouts as NHS commissioning is restructured under upcoming reforms.

• Report
• House of Commons Public Accounts Committee - news