Sixty years of the welfare state have failed to ensure that those in most need of public services have adequate access to them, leading to 'wide and persisting inequality', research has found.
It seems the 'Berlin Wall' dividing health and social care might finally be coming down, as ministers finalise a combined white paper. But will this lead to a merger of social services departments...
Finally, a hospital waiting time target that should genuinely help patients. But can the tough new plan to cut the time from GP referral to treatment to 18 weeks be achieved? Anthony Harrison and...
Britain still dumps most of its rubbish in landfill sites, instead of recycling it. But tough new European Union regulations are set to change all that. David Meilton reports on how councils are...
The civil service does need urgent reform to bring it into line with other parts of the public sector, argues Sir Michael Bichard. But legislation is not the answer
Sir Gus O'Donnell is soon to take over the Whitehall hot seat newly vacated by Sir Andrew Turnbull. Will he follow in his reforming steps or take a different path? Mark Conrad finds out
The new licensing regime has been condemned as a 'shambles' by industry representatives as the government's own estimates suggest that at least 30% of businesses will miss the August 6 deadline.
The joint government/trade union body the Public Services Forum has swung into action to set up two panels to assess problematic sickness absence and diversity issues.
Civil servants this week urged the Cabinet Office to take swift action to correct problems with senior salaries that have distorted pay settlements for lower grade staff.
When does the UK's economic cycle start and end? Whenever the chancellor chooses, say his critics. That view is too cynical, argues Carl Emmerson but we could do with a more forward-looking...
The Child Support Agency's backlog of unresolved cases has continued to grow despite all the efforts to cut it, benefits minister James Plaskitt has revealed.
The Department of Health has abandoned plans to publish a white paper on adult social care, opting instead to incorporate it into broader proposals on integrated health and social care services...
Nearly a quarter of the initial bids received for social housing grant over the next two years are from private developers and other non-registered social landlords.
The number of staff employed by the Scottish Executive has increased by 32% since the devolved Parliament was set up in 1999, latest figures have disclosed.
Sir Andrew Turnbull this week delivered his final speech as Cabinet secretary, calling for further Whitehall reforms and attacking critics who questioned civil service values under his stewardship.
Gordon Brown might mean what he says, but does he say what he means? The government's Alice in Wonderland approach to its Spending Review timings has a lot more to do with politics than economics
Pensions policy is in a mess. The Pensions Commission is due to report in a matter of months, but there seems to be little agreement on how to proceed. If the deadlock remains, we're back to square...
I think I feel a primary care shake-up coming on. The government is finally turning its attention from hospitals to family doctor services, says Noel Plumridge. Its mission? To bring back patient-...
Wellbeing rather than narrow concerns about efficiency looks set to be the next big thing for policy makers. Phil Swann explores the meaning of public value
Government plans to slash the number of people claiming incapacity benefit have suffered a blow after a detailed statistical exercise revealed there were 135,000 more recipients than estimated.
The management of Private Finance Initiative contracts is to come under intense scrutiny by Partnerships UK amid concerns that civil servants lack the expertise necessary to oversee them, Public...
