Policy Hub
On 11 April 2010, the Kings Fund published a report which highlights progress made in the NHS over the last 13 years, confirming that it is now high performing in several respects as well as delivering more care to more people more quickly.
The report focuses on a number of important achievements, including major reductions in waiting times and rates of health care associated infections as well as progress in reducing smoking rates.
There has been a concerted effort to implement national standards of care for major diseases across the NHS which has contributed to the continued falls in deaths from cancer and cardiovascular disease. There are less obvious changes too, including improvements in data collection and reporting at a national and local level.
However, the report insists that further progress is needed in a number of areas. There are unwarranted variations in access, utilisation and quality of care even where national guidelines exist, and health inequalities have widened since 1997. A decline in productivity is a significant concern given the difficult financial circumstances currently facing the NHS with fears it may not be fully prepared for the key challenges that lie ahead.