There is a strong rationale for modernising NHS dentistry, but significant risks will have to be managed if the new arrangements announced by the Department of Health are to be effective and provide value for money, according to the National Audit Office. In particular, given the scepticism of some dentists compounded by a lack of […]
This ‘think piece’ draws on our past work highlighting the barriers that prevent health and social care services working together effectively, examples of joint working and the move towards services centred on the needs of the individual, to inform the ongoing debate about the future of health and social care in England.
Head of the National Office Sir John Bourn reported to Parliament today that, in 2002-2003, the Department of Health successfully met its target of ensuring that financial balance was achieved in aggregate across the 607 individual NHS organisations. The NHS as a whole reported an underspend of £96 million within the context of healthcare commissioned […]
The NAO has investigated how NHS Shared Business Services handled its backlog of unprocessed clinical correspondence.
This investigation looks at the 2017-18 increase in NHS spending on certain generic medicines, possible causes of the price increases in the market for generic medicines, and how the Department of Health and Social Care responded to the price increases.
This report investigates the NHS’s response to the cyber attack that affected it in May 2017 and the impact on health services.
Head of the National Audit Office Sir John Bourn has published a report following his examination of each of the twenty three summarised accounts for the NHS in England. Today’s report draws attention to a number of issues, including the NHS’s overall financial performance, developments in accounting and internal control, fraud, and clinical negligence liabilities. […]
The National Audit Office has published the results of its examination into the inappropriate adjustment of waiting lists at a number of NHS trusts. In July of this year the NAO published its report Inpatient and outpatient waiting in the NHS looking at the accuracy and management of NHS waiting lists. In that report it […]
Additional funding, aimed to help the NHS get on a financially sustainable footing, has instead been spent on coping with existing pressures.
This report provides information on managing PFI contracts when they end and considers whether government is preparing for expiry appropriately.
The need for wider implementation of good practice to manage and reduce waiting lists and times in the NHS in England is highlighted today in a National Audit Office report. In March 2001 some 42,000 patients had been waiting more than 12 months for admission to hospital, and there are large inequalities across the country […]
Head of the National Audit Office Sir John Bourn today reported to Parliament on how well prepared the NHS is to respond to disasters. The NAO started this study before September 11 2001 and since then updated its work to take into account progress made by the NHS in this area during the subsequent period […]
The report examines progress that the Department of Health & Social Care, NHS England, NHS Improvement and other stakeholders are making in reducing the impact of emergency admissions on acute hospitals. The report takes a whole-system approach, and looks at action across acute, primary, community and social care systems.
This report examines the effectiveness of the government’s approach to reducing childhood obesity in England.
We record government’s progress in ensuring health and social care supplies should the UK leave the EU without a deal.
Head of the National Audit Office Sir John Bourn has given an unqualified opinion on each of the 20 NHS summarised accounts, prepared by the Secretary of State for Health from the accounts for individual health organisations. Today’s report from the NAO draws attention to a number of issues, including overall financial performance, fraud in […]
This investigation sets out the facts relating to government procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic up to 31 July 2020.
There is a pressing need for the Department of Health, Strategic Health Authorities and NHS trusts to improve their management of suspensions of clinical staff, according to the head of the National Audit Office, Sir John Bourn. Today’s report to Parliament, while acknowledging the paramount importance of protecting patient safety, highlights concerns about the length […]