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FYI Recent publication from the King's Fund which may be of interest to
some of you

Best wishes

David McDaid
LSE Health and Social Care


"The Labour Party came to power in 1997 promising to 'save' the NHS. Since
then it has invested unprecedented levels of funding in the health service,
but emphasised that the extra money must be linked to 'reform'.
This audit assesses Labour's performance against its targets to bring down
waiting times; recruit more health care professionals; and improve care in
cancer, heart disease and mental health."
http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/audit1/

Press release at
http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/news/news.cfm?contentID=289

Excerpt of press release below

The key findings of the audit are:

* NHS spending: Labour has met its spending targets thanks to unprecedented
increases in investment. Spending on the NHS in England has now reached
European levels of expenditure. But questions remain over the productivity
of the NHS and the value for money taxpayers are getting for their
investment. Much of the additional new money for the NHS this year will go
on pay and other 'cost pressures' such as clinical negligence claims and
new drugs. This means the extra money available for additional patient
services is only 2.4 per cent.
* Waiting times: Labour has made huge progress in the area that was its
highest priority for the health service. However, more work is required to
reduce waiting times for diagnostic tests and end hidden waits.
* Tackling big killer diseases: Labour has substantially met its targets to
get more beds, staff and equipment into services for treating cancer, heart
disease and mental health. Mortality from cancer, heart disease and suicide
has fallen, although these were falling anyway. Progress on preventative
measures, such as reducing smoking and improving diet, seems slow at best.
* Beds, staff, the private sector and MRSA: Labour has secured a
substantial increase in some types of hospital beds and in clinical staff,
and has made good progress in modernising NHS facilities. On the downside,
rates of MRSA compare badly with other countries, while employment numbers
may not be quite as impressive as might first appear as government figures
count the number of people employed in the NHS, regardless of whether they
are working full or part-time.
* NHS buildings: In 1997, the average age of NHS buildings was older than
the NHS itself. In 2005, this is true of less than a quarter of NHS
buildings. By 2010, 40 per cent of NHS buildings will be less than 15 years
old.
King's Fund chief executive Niall Dickson said: "Overall the results of the
audit undertaken by the King's Fund are positive. There has been
unprecedented investment and there have been significant improvements in
most areas. So, is the NHS better than it was in 1997? We believe it is,
although it should be, considering the Government has doubled the health
service budget since it came to power. But it's too early to give a final
verdict. The impact on the nation's health will take longer to emerge and
the latest raft of reforms - making greater use of market incentives and
regulation - have barely begun.
 "While the Government can take comfort from many of the findings, it's
 clear that there is still much more to do as - to be fair - ministers have
 recognised. Patients are spending too long on so-called hidden waiting
 lists, such as those for diagnostic tests prior to treatment; there are
 still staff shortages and major pressures in mental health; and the health
 service has been slow to wake up to the challenge of antibiotic-resistant
 bugs such as MRSA. On top of this, the NHS faces a huge challenge in
 combating the rising tide of preventable ill health. Despite all this, our
 audit shows that real progress has been made across a range of areas. The
 job may not be complete, but modernisation is well under way."

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