The NHS at 70: How good is the NHS?

The NHS at 70: How good is the NHS?  To mark the BBC's coverage of the NHS's 70th birthday in July 2018, researchers from the Health Foundation, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, The King’s Fund and the Nuffield Trust have joined forces for the first time, using combined expertise to shed light on some of the big questions on the NHS.

The four organisations have been asked by the BBC to look at five key topics, covering the relative strengths and weaknesses of the health service, the state of social care, NHS funding, the public’s expectations of the NHS and the potential of technology to change things in future. This project and the reports we have produced are intended to inform the national conversation about the past, present and future of the NHS.

See also:

• NHS receives mixed scorecard in major analysis of international health systems The King’s Fund
• NHS no longer the envy of the world, says independent report BBC News
• UK has worse healthcare service than many Western countries but spends similarly The Daily Mail
• NHS among worst in Western world at preventing avoidable deaths, study finds The Daily Telegraph
• NHS 'worse than average in treating eight common causes of death' The Guardian
• NHS ranked among world’s best at protecting poor despite having far fewer beds and staff than other countries, report finds The Independent 

The public and the NHS: what’s the deal?

The public and the NHS: what’s the deal? The NHS is under financial pressure with growing demand for services. As the NHS reaches its 70th birthday, The King’s Fund has been exploring how the public views its relationship with the NHS. In March 2018, in partnership with Ipsos MORI, we carried out three ‘deliberative workshops’ to explore this issue. The King's Fund

Survey reveals women experience severe reproductive health issues

Survey reveals women experience severe reproductive health issues A new Public Health England (PHE) survey reveals that 31% of women experience severe reproductive health problems, but under half seek help.

In the first report of its kind, PHE has revealed the impact of women’s reproductive health issues on the nation’s physical, mental and social wellbeing. The report combines women’s experiences, as reported in a new survey, with existing data to define reproductive health as a public health issue.

The report shows for the first time the extent of the impact these issues have on women’s ability to work and go about their daily lives and will form the basis of a cross-governmental 5-year action plan on reproductive health.

See also:

• Reproductive health: what women say Public Health England 
• Guidance: Health matters: reproductive health and pregnancy planning Public Health England 
• Case study: Preconception and pregnancy: opportunities to intervene Public Health England 
• Case study: Understanding the contraceptive needs of postnatal women Public Health England 
• Women's top reproductive worries revealed BBC News
• Almost half of women are dissatisfied with their sex lives - but over 55s are least likely to complain, PHE survey finds The Daily Telegraph

Hiding in plain sight: Treating tobacco dependency in the NHS

Hiding in plain sight: Treating tobacco dependency in the NHS The report argues that existing models of delivering stop smoking services separately from mainstream NHS services, while successful in the past, may now not be the best approach. We argue that responsibility for treating smokers lies with the clinician who sees them, and that our NHS should be delivering default, opt-out, systematic interventions for all smokers at the point of service contact. Royal College of Physicians

See also:

• NHS staff smokers cost health service £200m a year with cigarette breaks and sick days, report finds The Independent
• Doctors call for a ‘radical change’ to the way NHS treats smoking OnMedica

NHS England and UK Space Agency launch multi-million pound drive to improve patient care

NHS England and UK Space Agency launch multi-million pound drive to improve patient care The UK Space Agency has today announced that it is allocating up to £4 million to find hi-tech solutions to the major health and care challenges facing the NHS in its 70th anniversary year in a joint initiative with NHS England.

An insole with GPS tracking for dementia patients

An insole with GPS tracking for dementia patients The NHS in Dorset is trialling a tracking device to keep dementia patients safe. It is an insole that a patient places in his or her shoe. It helps to keep tabs on the wearer so that relatives and carers will always know their location. BBC News

Tory MPs could refuse to back tax rises for £20bn NHS boost, says Jacob Rees-Mogg

Tory MPs could refuse to back tax rises for £20bn NHS boost, says Jacob Rees-Mogg Jacob Rees-Mogg has warned that Conservative MPs may refuse to support tax rises to fund the government’s £20bn pledge to fund the NHS.

The influential backbencher said the chancellor Philip Hammond would be moving into “dangerous territory” if he broke away from the Conservative manifesto pledge to keep taxes low.

Mr Rees-Mogg, who chairs the pro-Brexit European Research Group, also insisted that a “Brexit dividend” could help to pay for the cash boost, referring to the money Britain could claw back from Brussels after leaving the EU. The Independent

Doctors are so tired from long shifts that they 'behave like they are drunk'

Doctors are so tired from long shifts that they 'behave like they are drunk' Doctors are endangering lives because they are too often as tired as if they were drunk, medics have warned.

Doctors said those working shifts of more than 12 hours had the concentration and judgement of those who were inebriated.

And they said the research had found those performing under such conditions had no idea their skills were impaired.

Dr Satish Jayagopal, a surgeon from Salisbury, told the British Medical Association conference that patients being treated by doctors working such shifts had a 27 per cent increased risk of suffering an adverse incident. The Daily Telegraph

NHS well-intended health campaigns may actually make us MORE ill

NHS well-intended health campaigns may actually make us MORE ill Doctors fear that encouraging people to asses 'symptoms' is leading to a nation of people overly-concerned with their health - and imagining diseases. The Daily Mail