The Health Foundation

🚀 Our latest blog explores our current work with the The Health Foundation to develop a ground-breaking framework and database that will provide a clearer picture of supply and demand across health and care services in England. Since the pandemic, NHS and social care services have faced significant challenges, including staff shortages, increased demand and backlogs. However, gaining a full understanding of the situation has been difficult, as key data about NHS performance and operations remains siloed across multiple platforms. This project will consolidate over 100 different data sources to assess whether care provision meets demand and identify widening gaps. In the blog we lay out why we believe this will be a significant step forward for policymakers, NHS decisions makers and researchers, giving unprecedented insights into demand, supply and resource allocation, ultimately driving better patient outcomes. 📖 Read the full blog here: https://lnkd.in/eZZgNW5h Reach out to the blogs authors for further information: Robert K. Godspower Oboli Ben Bray Hiba Sameen Katie Fozzard

Join us online on 29 April for an exploration of NHS management capacity. We will unpack what the concept means, identify its key components and examine how it’s measured and assessed. This event is co-produced by the University of York and us, and hosted by the University of Birmingham. Register now ⬇

The Commission for #HealthierWorkingLives has published its final report, warning of the challenges and costs of rising health-related job loss. We digest the findings and summarise key actions for government. Read more ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eACshUAw

CLOSING SOON: Do you have proven experience in public affairs and stakeholder relations, and strong communication and interpersonal skills? We are looking for an External Affairs Officer to join our team. Find out more and apply by 23.59 on 15 April ⬇️ https://bit.ly/3FZyEHV

The work of our Commission for #HealthierWorkingLives would not have been possible without the invaluable perspectives shared by those with lived experience of work-limiting conditions. Thank you to Tanya Marwaha for sharing her experiences of the challenges of staying in the workforce while living with multiple health conditions. Read the Action for Healthier Working Lives report ⬇️ https://bit.ly/3Ecxrwy

PODCAST: How is progress on the government’s health mission? It’s 2 years since Keir Starmer first set out his five missions for government, including a health mission to build ‘an NHS fit for the future’ and ‘a fairer Britain, where everyone lives well for longer’. So, what have we learned so far? And are clues emerging about how government plans to improve the nation’s health beyond the confines of the NHS? We assess progress on the health mission so far with Jo Bibby, Dr Hannah White OBE and Jennifer Dixon. Listen now 🎧

The biggest benefits for the NHS from technology in the next 2-3 years will come from the tech that already exists - our latest The Health Foundation report on why it’s time to really realise the benefits of EPRs to change ways of working for staff and patients, not just digitising paper. Ten years ago the Wachter report provided the route map for EPRs, CCIOs/CNIOs and digital skills in the NHS. It’s time for a Wachter 2.0 to set the direction for now getting the most out of EPRs, and AI being deployed on top. Great work by Alex Lawrence and Holly Krelle 👇👇👇

CLOSING SOON: We are looking for a Senior Fellow to join our team. You'll design and deliver a range of research and influencing activities on public health and prevention, supporting our work on improving health and reducing inequalities. Find out more and apply by 23.59 on 14 April ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/ePXj8qfa

💻 The Health Foundation - today we've published a piece on EPRs, arguing that the NHS needs both a national strategy for next steps, and trust-level plans to reap the benefits of these systems. 🏥 By March 2026, 96% of trusts should have an EPR in place. It has taken a long time to get here, and while just having digital records won't change the way we provide care, EPRs can bring huge benefits when used well (just look at our US case study). We know that its about how we use this kind of tech, not just having it. There are so many latent benefits we can draw out of tech (such as EPRs) that is already in the NHS and into which much has already been invested, but this will require both resources and a focus on implementation, training, and culture change. 🚨 The government urgently needs to set out a strategy for the NHS to facilitate effective benefits realisation from EPRs – both to ensure trusts are getting the basics right, and to help develop and deploy higher order functionalities, such as AI. Read the full report here 📑 https://lnkd.in/eQziN-bd Holly Krelle | Tim Horton | Malte Gerhold

What are the challenges of realising the benefits of electronic patient records (EPRs)? EPRs have the potential to transform health care delivery, improving quality, efficiency and patient safety. But simply ‘digitising paper’ is not enough. Although NHS trusts in England are on the cusp of achieving 100% coverage, few are using them to their full potential. To explore the challenges with benefits realisation, we conducted interviews with leaders in five acute NHS trusts in England, as well as in a leading US medical centre. The experience of the US, where many providers are several years ahead of the UK in EPR use, shows the hill to climb: reaching meaningful use of EPRs required time, investment and cultural change. The government urgently needs to set out a strategy to guide the effective use of EPRs in the NHS and ensure they’re used to their full potential. This should be supported by sufficient funding and locally developed implementation plans. Read more ⬇