Securing the future: funding health and social care to the 2030s

Securing the future: funding health and social care to the 2030s A report that looks at how much health spending would need to rise to provide the level of service it does today and how much it would need to modernise and improve for the future.

These findings are the result of careful "bottom-up" modelling of supply and demand factors in the health and social care sectors including demographic change, population health and cost data. The research was carried out by researchers from the Health Foundation and the Institute for Fiscal Studies, in association with the NHS Confederation.

See also:

• Tax rises needed 'to prevent NHS misery' BBC News
• £2,000 more per household needed to save the NHS, report warns The Daily Mail
• NHS needs £2,000 in tax from every household to stay afloat – report The Guardian
• The Guardian view on tax and the NHS: honesty is overdue | Editorial The Guardian
• NHS needs £2,000 in tax from every household to stay afloat, report concludes The Independent

The story of NHS England: the world’s biggest quango

The story of NHS England: the world’s biggest quango In this study, commissioned jointly by the Institute for Government and The King’s Fund, Nick Timmins explores the fate of one of the central provisions of the Health and Social Care Act, NHS England, established as a statutorily independent board with the aim of distancing politicians from the day-to-day running of the NHS.

'The World’s Biggest Quango' draws on extensive, often exclusive, interviews, with some of those most intimately involved in the first five years of NHS England.

See also:

• NHS reforms have failed to take the politics out of the NHS The King’s Fund

Public health consequences of e-cigarettes

Public health consequences of e-cigarettes This report looks at the evidence on the human health effects of e-cigarettes. Although the research base is limited given the relatively short time e-cigarettes have been used, the committee that conducted the study identified and examined over 800 peer-reviewed scientific studies, reaching dozens of conclusions about a range of health impacts. It concludes that while e-cigarettes are not without health risks, they are likely to be less harmful than conventional cigarettes. Free registration is required to access this report. National Academy of Sciences

Citizen science: crowdsourcing for research

Citizen science: crowdsourcing for research This report explores citizen science in research and reveals the power of people to generate ideas, solve problems, and work together to deliver on scientific goals. It examines how people can get involved in scientific research, even if they’re not formally trained experts in the topic of study. It offers examples of practical applications of citizen science and includes advice for designing and implementing citizen science projects and provides a framework for evaluating success. THIS Institute

GP workforce falling 50% faster in deprived areas, official data show

GP workforce falling 50% faster in deprived areas, official data show The GP workforce has fallen 50% faster in the most deprived areas in England than in the wealthiest areas over the past decade, figures published by the government reveal. GPonline

Future-proofing the NHS: how the UK's largest workforce is gearing up

Future-proofing the NHS: how the UK's largest workforce is gearing up As the service responds to changing demand and medical advances, more staff – and new careers – are being developed

Seventy years ago the NHS launched with a workforce of around 144,000. Since then, the health service has grown to become the single biggest employer in the UK, with 1.7 million workers across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, making it the fifth-largest workforce in the world. It is probably the most diverse workforce in the UK – for instance, some 62,000 NHS staff in England are EU nationals. It’s not unusual to be treated by a nurse from the Philippines or India or seen by a doctor from Egypt, Korea or even Russia.

As the workforce demographic has changed there have also been huge advances in medicine. There has been a move towards more patient self-management in an integrated health and social care system, with more people looked after outside of hospital nearer home. At the same, time patient demand has soared, and it is anticipated that 190,000 more staff will be needed in England alone by 2027 if the current pressure on services continues apace. Continue reading... As the service responds to changing demand and medical advances, more staff – and new careers – are being developed

Seventy years ago the NHS launched with a workforce of around 144,000. Since then, the health service has grown to become the single biggest employer in the UK, with 1.7 million workers across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, making it the fifth-largest workforce in the world. It is probably the most diverse workforce in the UK – for instance, some 62,000 NHS staff in England are EU nationals. It’s not unusual to be treated by a nurse from the Philippines or India or seen by a doctor from Egypt, Korea or even Russia.

As the workforce demographic has changed there have also been huge advances in medicine. There has been a move towards more patient self-management in an integrated health and social care system, with more people looked after outside of hospital nearer home. At the same, time patient demand has soared, and it is anticipated that 190,000 more staff will be needed in England alone by 2027 if the current pressure on services continues apace. Continue reading...The Guardian

The NHS is suffering from repetitive change injury | André Spicer

The NHS is suffering from repetitive change injury | André Spicer It affects Swedish trains and US business. Now the poor British health system is catching another dose of reform mania

During the past few decades, people working in the NHS have noticed the rise of a puzzling yet dangerous new syndrome. It cannot be found in any medical textbook, but the symptoms are more obvious each year. They include delusional behaviour, stress, memory loss, anxiety. Unlike most syndromes in the NHS, this doesn’t infect individual patients. It contaminates entire organisations. The experts call it: repetitive change syndrome. Continue reading... The Guardian

All but 'urgent' patients turned away as pressure overwhelms GPs

All but 'urgent' patients turned away as pressure overwhelms GPs GPs are being forced to deny patients routine appointments and only accept “urgent” cases due to mounting pressure on practices, according to new research.

A survey of nearly 800 family doctors found more than one in six had been forced to turn away non-urgent patients over the past 12 months.

Some said that at times they had no available slots for more than four weeks and were using telephone triage to identify those who require consultation for an urgent matter. The Daily Telegraph