Healthcare In The Uk

′This is an excellent textbook for which there is currently a niche in the market. The chapters on rationing, professionalism, politics of clinical knowledge and the politics of democracy and participation are particularly strong and will be invaluable to students of health policy, health studies and health service research′ - Professor Michael Calnan, University of Bristol Written by leading academics in their field, this book provides a clear and considered overview of the politics of health care in Britain. Bringing together a wide range of material on both past events and recent developments, the chapters cover issues such as the politics of health professionalism, clinical knowledge and organisation and management. Each chapter offers a a unique combination of theory, historical detail and analysis of contemporary events. It features case studies to illustrate how policy has evolved and developed in recent years, and the implications these changes have for practice. Written in an accessible style the chapters also include comprehensive introductions, summaries and further reading sections. The final chapter is based on three detailed case studies that illuminate the tensions and debates discussed throughout the book. The Politics of Healthcare in Britain is a timely and authoritative textbook that covers a key topic of the curriculum whilst also contributing to topical debates. The book will be essential reading for students of social policy, health policy, public policy and nursing. It will also be of interest to policy makers and practitioners in the field of health care.

Winner of the first prize in the Health and Social Care category at the BMA Medical Book Awards 2016. With chapters on 25 different countries, this practical and succinct guide to the world's major health systems explores what lessons can be drawn from each to improve health worldwide. Each chapter is an essay designed to give the reader essential knowledge of the history, strengths, weaknesses and lessons of each health system and provide a truly global health perspective – all in the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee. Whether a healthcare manager or a student studying health systems, this accessible and engaging book provides a fascinating insight in to how health care is delivered around the world.

This review incorporates the views and visions of 2,000 clinicians and other health and social care professionals from every NHS region in England, and has been developed in discussion with patients, carers and the general public. The changes proposed are locally-led, patient-centred and clinically driven. Chapter 2 identifies the challenges facing the NHS in the 21st century: ever higher expectations; demand driven by demographics as people live longer; health in an age of information and connectivity; the changing nature of disease; advances in treatment; a changing health workplace. Chapter 3 outlines the proposals to deliver high quality care for patients and the public, with an emphasis on helping people to stay healthy, empowering patients, providing the most effective treatments, and keeping patients as safe as possible in healthcare environments. The importance of quality in all aspects of the NHS is reinforced in chapter 4, and must be understood from the perspective of the patient's safety, experience in care received and the effectiveness of that care. Best practice will be widely promoted, with a central role for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in expanding national standards. This will bring clarity to the high standards expected and quality performance will be measured and published. The review outlines the need to put frontline staff in control of this drive for quality (chapter 5), with greater freedom to use their expertise and skill and decision-making to find innovative ways to improve care for patients. Clinical and managerial leadership skills at the local level need further development, and all levels of staff will receive support through education and training (chapter 6). The review recommends the introduction of an NHS Constitution (chapter 7). The final chapter sets out the means of implementation.

This timely book is the most comprehensive account yet of recent commissioning practice in the English NHS and its impact on health services and the healthcare system. Drawing on eight years of research, expert researchers in the field analyse crucial aspects of commissioning, including competition and cooperation, the development of Clinical Commissioning Groups and contractual mechanisms. They also consider the influence of recent commissioning reforms on public health infrastructure. For academics and policy makers in health services research and policy, this is a valuable collection of evidence that deepens understanding of how commissioning works.

The United Kingdom’s health systems have long made the quality of care a high priority, pioneering many tools and policies in this area. Yet despite being a global leader in monitoring and improvement, the United Kingdom does not consistently perform well on international quality benchmarks. Why?

This report highlights key trends and variations in the delivery of healthcare across the four nations of the UK. Life expectancy varies significantly across the UK - from 75.9 in Scotland to 78.6 in England for men, and from 80.4 in Scotland to 82.6 in England for women. Spending on health services in the UK more than doubled in cash terms in the last decade. In 2010-11, despite devoting a higher proportion of total public spending to health, England spent the least on health per person. NHS staff has also increased over the last decade. Scotland has the most GPs per person (80 per 100,000 people in 2009 compared with 70 in England and 65 per 100,000 in both Wales and Northern Ireland). Scotland also has the most medical hospital staff and nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff per person. Comparable data on the efficiency and quality of healthcare are patchy. In 2008-09, average hospital lengths of stay varied from 4.3 days in England to 6.3 days in Wales. Hospital waiting times have fallen in all four nations in recent years, although there are notable variations in how long patients wait for common procedures. In 2009-10 waiting times tended to be lower in England and Wales. There have been significant improvements in levels of healthcare associated infections with rates of MRSA infection dropping by a third or more in all nations. The NAO considers that there would be value in the health departments in the four nations carrying out further work to investigate the variations in performance and identify how they can learn from each other

Health systems everywhere are experiencing rapid change in response to new threats to health, including from lifestyle diseases, risks of pandemic flu, and the global effects of climate change but health inequalities continue to widen. Such developments have profound implications for the future direction of public health policy and practice. The public health system in England offers a wide-ranging, provocative and accessible assessment of challenges confronting a public health system, exploring how its parameters have shifted and what the origins of dilemmas in public health practice are. The book will therefore appeal to public health professionals and students of health policy, potentially engaging them in political and social advocacy.

'Christopher Ham's book provides an historical and theoretical introduction to the making, implementation and evaluation of health policy in Britain. It has been completely revised throughout for this third edition with new chapters added on the current health service reforms and key issues for the future of health policy setting the British situation in an international context. 'It is hard to find a better basic textbook about health policy in Britain for students with little existing knowledge. However, it can also be highly recommended for readers who work in the NHS, but want to make more sense of the often confusing web of policies and imperatives. This book manages to synthesise a mass of material in a readable form, and enlightens as well as informs.' Public Health.