There are currently far too many older people in hospitals who do not need to be there. Without radical action, this problem will worsen and add further financial strain to the NHS and local government.
In this report, we assess whether NHS England managed the PCSE contract with Capita effectively to secure the intended benefits
The cost of clinical negligence in trusts is significant and rising fast, placing increasing financial pressure on an already stretched system.
The report sets out central government’s risk analysis, planning, and mitigation strategies prior to the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic
This report examines whether the NHS is well placed to get value for money from its investment in developing new care models through vanguards.
Demand for ambulance services continues to grow rapidly, but services are finding it increasingly difficult to cope with rising demand.
Government does not know how many people in prison have a mental illness, how much it is spending on mental health in prisons or whether it is achieving its objectives. It is therefore hard to see how Government can be achieving value for money in its efforts to improve the mental health and well being of prisoners. In 2016 there were 40,161 incidents of self-harm in prisons and 120 self-inflicted deaths.
The Department of Health and its partners are still some way from implementing a plan to put the NHS’ finances in England on a sustainable footing, according to three reports issued by the Comptroller and Auditor General.
The financial performance of NHS bodies worsened considerably in 2015-16, according to the National Audit Office.
Data visualisation describing changes in English local authorities’ financial circumstances over the last decade.
In March 2021, the C&AG submitted evidence to the Health and Social Care Committee inquiry into the Department of Health & Social Care’s White Paper, ‘Integration and Innovation: working together to improve health and social care’. This drew on the National Audit Office’s past body of work to highlight the main risks and opportunities the White Paper presents, both in terms of effective implementation of the proposed reforms and in terms of making progress towards overarching health and social care policy aims.
There are shortcomings in how the supply of NHS clinical staff in England is managed, in terms of both planning the future workforce and meeting the current demand for staff.
The Cancer Drugs Fund has improved access to cancer drugs not routinely available on the NHS, but all parties agree it is not sustainable in its current form.
The Department recognizes the potential for conflicts of interest in the new system for NHS commissioning. Public confidence that conflicts are well managed will be vital.
Patient satisfaction with access to general practice remains high but is declining. Better data is needed so that decisions about general practice are well-informed.
The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides, one for each government department, to assist House of Commons Select Committees.
I last posted to this blog in late April as the country was in the teeth of the COVID-19 pandemic, explaining how we were maintaining our operations and adjusting our work programme in the light of the government response to the virus. Now, in late July, most of the UK is gradually emerging from lockdown […]
Progress has been made to reduce the additional risk of death for people with diabetes. However, 22,000 are still estimated to be dying each year from diabetes related causes.
The provision of adequate adult social care poses a significant public service challenge. Demand for care is rising while public spending is falling.
This impacts case study shows how our frequent highlighting of the need for consistent and reliable data and clearer accountability has improved reporting and data assurance in the health system.
It is one example of financial or non-financial benefits realised in 2014 as a result of our involvement, all of which are set out in our interactive PDF.