The UK government’s health and social care white paper promises radical reforms. But who will check they meet the aim of delivering better value for money?
Councils’ ability to handle Covid-19 test and trace responsibilities have been hampered by a lack of clarity on funding levels, according to the Public Accounts Committee.
Issues with external audit are not confined to local government – the NHS system is also not working, says Emma Knowles, director of policy and research at the Healthcare Financial Management...
The Department of Health and Social Care has published a white paper promising significant reforms to the structure of the NHS. PF rounds up the sector’s responses.
Government plans to procure personal protective equipment before Covid-19 were inadequate, leading to hundreds of millions of pounds being wasted on PPE not fit for purpose, according to a group of...
NHS accounts show the service already faced financial problems going into the Covid-19 pandemic, despite the boost provided by the NHS Long Term Plan. Amelia Chong, policy adviser for finances at NHS...
The government is considering an overhaul of the healthcare system which would put partnerships between councils and the NHS onto a statutory footing, a leaked document reveals.
The UK’s death toll from Covid-19 this week reached 100,000. The grim milestone is a legacy of underfunding for health and care services, says Anita Charlesworth, director of research and REAL Centre...
Councils in England are set to receive an additional £120m in adult social care funding from central government to help boost staffing levels in care homes.
Covid-19 has hastened reforms to NHS funding, but governance risks exist in areas of the country lacking mature relationships between health partners and councils, says Patrick Garratt, senior policy...
Increased funding for the NHS and Department of Health & Social Care is welcome, but is not enough to cover the impact of Covid-19 or transformation plans, explains NHS Providers policy adviser...
At the end of a traumatic year, PF asks local government figures whether government has done enough to shield the sector from the financial impact of Covid-19.
The NHS Test and Trace Service is expected to cost £22bn this year, despite struggling to meet targets on testing and contracting tracing, the National Audit Office has said.
NHS Tayside’s high running costs remain a risk, although the health board has improved its financial management, the Scottish spending watchdog has said.
The UK government has spent an additional £10bn on personal protective equipment this year, as a result of “inadequate stockpiling”, according to the National Audit Office.
The government failed to meet standards of transparency on its emergency Covid-19 procurement, according to an investigation by the National Audit Office.
The ongoing pandemic disruption combined with Brexit could overwhelm local authorities and devolved administrations, according to the Institute for Government.
The monthly financial impact of Covid-19 on councils in England has fallen below £1bn for the first time since the start of the crisis, running at 60% of the £1.5bn peaks in April and May.
The upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review must allocate funding to address record public service backlogs, CIPFA and the Institute for Government have warned.
The NHS will need to continue to derive value from costly infrastructure investments made during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers.