NHS and Social Care Funding

The NHS and social care systems are facing significant financial challenges as a consequence of the ageing and growing population. Although health spending has been protected relative to other public services, there are concerns that increasing demand, and pressure on local authority social care budgets, are impacting  on NHS performance and threatening the financial stability and sustainability of the health and social care systems. 

The have been a range of briefings on NHS and social care funding in England, and the current pressures they face, including the following briefings from the Commons Library:

• NHS funding and financial sustainability
• NHS Indicators: England, December 2016
• NHS Winter Pressures 2016/17 – Weekly Update
• Social care funding, and the care home market (England)
• Social care: paying for care home places and domiciliary care (England);                                                                                                 
• Social care: Announcement delaying introduction of funding reform (including the cap) and other changes until April 2020 (England);
• Social care: how the postponed changes to paying for care, including the cap, would have worked (England)

Further reading:

Secretary of State for Health, Statement to the Commons on mental health and NHS performance update (9 January 2017):

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2017-01-09/debates/A0C1CB51-3E77-4FD0-87D9-AD36C2C11CE5/MentalHealthAndNHSPerformance

Letter to Prime Minister from Chairs of Select Committees on NHS and social care funding (6 January 2017):

http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/communities-and-local-government-committee/news-parliament-2015/prime-minister-health-and-social-care-correspondence-16-17/

Blog from Chris Hopson, Chief Executive of NHS Providers (11 January 2017):

https://www.nhsproviders.org/news-blogs/blogs/the-big-questions-for-the-year-ahead

BBC News, NHS conditions worst ever, say leading nurses (11 January 2017):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38570177

NAO, Financial sustainability of the NHS (22 November 2016):

https://www.nao.org.uk/report/financial-sustainability-of-the-nhs/

Health Select Committee Inquiry: Department of Health and NHS Funding

Health Select Committee Report: Impact of the Spending Review on health and social care, July 2016

Health Committee Report: Public Health Post – 2013 – Structures, organisation,  funding and delivery inquiry, August 2016

Public Accounts Committee Inquiry: Financial Sustainability of the NHS

Public Accounts Committee Report: Sustainability and financial performance of acute hospital trusts inquiry, May 2016 

Lords Select Committee: Long Term Sustainability of the NHS

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