Funding, news and events from June 2022 

Events 

Webinar: What should the COVID-19 inquiry focus on?  

Catch up with our webinar from 23 June where we look at the public inquiry into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, chaired by Baroness Hallett. The primary purpose of the Inquiry will be to identify the lessons learned from the way the pandemic was managed, and how to do better in future.  Watch the webinar.

Webinar: How does the NHS compare internationally? And what does it mean?  

Catch up our webinar from 8 June where we look at the latest data on how the NHS performs compared to other countries, explore what the data can and can’t tell us about the strengths of different systems and consider the implications for NHS policy and government plans for reform. Watch the webinar.

Blogs and long reads 

The Plan for Digital Health and Social Care: what will be needed to deliver on its ambition 

The government’s new Plan for Digital Health and Social Care contains some important ambitions. Our blog explores what’s needed to make it work. Read the blog. 

Where next for NHS nurses' pay? 

The gruelling effects of the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis have accelerated the need to review the current approach to NHS nurse pay determination, to ensure it can be fit for purpose as part of an overall NHS workforce strategy. Read the long read.

Integrated care systems: what do they look like? 

Integrated care systems (ICSs) are the centrepiece of the biggest legislative overhaul of the NHS in a decade. From July 2022, England will be formally divided into 42 area-based ICSs, covering populations of around 500,000 to 3 million people. We outline some of the challenges facing ICSs and reflect on the implications for national policy. Read more.

Reforming management and leadership in the NHS: Does the Messenger review go far enough? 

The Messenger review into health and social care leadership in England has been published along with a set of seven recommendations. Led by Dame Linda Pollard and Sir Gordon Messenger, the review is a promising start for health and social care leadership reform, although many hurdles to its implementation remain. It is essential government avoids falling into the same trap seen following previous reviews – of repeatedly committing to change without following through. That means the response to Messenger will need to be backed up with concrete resources and action. Read the blog.

How many NHS workers will we need over the coming decade? 

Workforce shortages are the biggest single challenge facing the NHS and adult social care. In this working paper, we update our 2021 estimates of the number of full-time equivalent staff that the NHS in England might need to 2030/31, to account for potential improvements in productivity in acute trusts. Explore the analysis.

News 

Data strategy is full of potential, but government must make recommendations a reality 

Responding to the publication of the government’s data strategy for health and social care, Charles Tallack, Director of Data Analytics at the Health Foundation, said ‘Today’s strategy is an important milestone in the government’s efforts to make better use of data to improve health and social care in England. The improvements made to last year’s draft strategy are welcome. Read more.

If the NHS is to recover and become more resilient it will need significant resources 

If the NHS is to recover and become more resilient it will need significant resources, says Anita Charlesworth. Read our full response to the speech from Sajid Javid at NHS Confed Expo. Read more.

Efforts to clear record NHS backlog undermined by lack of workforce plan 

Responding to the publication on the monthly NHS performance statistics, Tim Gardner, Senior Policy Fellow at the Health Foundation said ‘It is good see the number of patients waiting over two years is falling but the overall picture is still troubling. The waiting list for routine hospital care has reached a record high of 6.5 million, of which over 323,000 patients have waited over a year and the wider pressures on the health service show few signs of easing.’ Read more.

Government needs to send clear message of support to NHS managers 

Responding to the publication of the Messenger Review into health and social care leadership, Dr Malte Gerhold, Director of Innovation and Improvement, said ‘The Messenger Review is a promising start for health and social care leadership reform. Now the real challenge of implementation begins. It’s essential that the training, development and support needs of managers in primary, community and social care, as well as hospitals, are considered. Read more.

Vital that government follows through on tobacco review recommendations 

Commenting on today’s publication of the Independent Review into Tobacco Control, led by Javed Khan, Grace Everest, Policy Fellow at the Health Foundation said ‘[The] independent tobacco review would mark a significant step towards creating a smoke free society, if government chooses to deliver on its recommendations. But it remains to be seen whether the review’s key proposals – such as raising the age of sale for tobacco and making the ‘polluter pay’ for additional investment in tobacco control – will be implemented in practice. Read more.

Health Foundation Podcast

Catch up on all the latest interviews with experts and high-profile guests, discussing the most important issues affecting the future of health and care for people in the UK. Explore recent episodes.

This content originally featured in our email newsletter, which explores perspectives and expert opinion on a different health or health care topic each month.