The Comprehensive Spending Review held no surprises with only small increases in budgets. But how does this match with the rising needs of vulnerable older people, asks Anne Williams
Pensions minister Mike O'Brien is set to lift the legal ban on divorcees accessing their spouse's retirement income under the state's Pension Protection Fund, Public Finance can reveal.
A flagship government health policy designed to get GPs involved in the design of NHS services is failing to improve patient care, many family doctors believe.
Anti-poverty campaigners this week expressed disappointment that the government's new Child Poverty Unit will not include Treasury officials, despite the department's role in achieving crucial...
The government wants neighbourhoods and communities to run more services. But with an eye-wateringly tight local government financial settlement, how will this be funded? Peter Hetherington...
The government's commitment to the provision of psychological therapies is a significant breakthrough, mental health leaders have said, but care must be taken to ensure demand from patients is met.
'Personalised public services' is the Brown government's latest Big Idea. But how are the ambitious plans for round-the-clock GP services, individual health budgets and one-to-one tutoring going to...
An ageing population presents a series of issues that must be addressed now, if millions of people are to have a decent old age. Rebecca George looks at the challenges ahead
Council and social care leaders are warning that the government must use its forthcoming green paper on adult services funding to fundamentally rethink the system.
Local authorities must perform detailed needs assessments of elderly people going into care homes to help them get a fair deal, the Commission for Social Care Inspection insisted this week.
News that adult social care funding will be frozen in real terms was sweetened slightly by the confirmation that the government will consult on a radical overhaul to the system.
Local Government and Communities Secretary Hazel Blears is under pressure to sign up to an 'accord' to eradicate child poverty, after Chancellor Alistair Darling's Comprehensive Spending Review...
Payment by results might help hospital managers and clinicians to understand their costs better, but it comes with significant costs of its own, the CIPFA health finance conference heard.
Primary care trusts should take patients' complaints into account when making commissioning decisions, especially those involving independent sector providers, the Healthcare Commission said this...
Private sector expectations for lucrative NHS contracts have 'come down with a bump' after government projections for their involvement proved to be 'over-egged', leading market analysts have said.
Town hall leaders are warning of cuts to services and jobs after the government's long-awaited Comprehensive Spending Review and Pre-Budget Report this week gave them a meagre 0.9% annual funding...
The Equality and Human Rights Commission came into being this month, bringing all equality issues under one roof. Is this a great leap forward in the fight against discrimination or a messy merger of...
The NHS has managed to turn a deficit of £547m into a surplus of £510m in one year. Sally Gainsbury looks at the figures behind this success story, and asks how such a financial turnaround could have...
