In 2015, a phenomenon coined as ‘Deaths of Despair’ (DoD) emerged in the US, highlighting an alarming increase in mortality due to drugs, alcohol, and suicides, particularly among white men without a college education. Here, Christine Camacho and Dr Luke Munford explore the spatial patterning of these deaths in England, where an estimated 46,200 lives […]
With great power: Taking responsibility for integrated care
July 2022 sees the formal establishment of the Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) created by the Health and Care Act 2022. These bodies will integrate health and social care in England, with the aim of providing more joined-up services tailored to local needs. However, questions remain about how ICSs will function at place-level, particularly in terms […]
Place-based developments in health care: What can we learn from health and wellbeing boards?
This article was originally published in On Primary Care, a collection of essays identifying the challenges and opportunities facing policymakers today in the UK primary care sector. In this blog, Dr Anna Coleman from the Health Organisation, Policy and Economics (HOPE) group, emphasises the importance of Health and Wellbeing Boards (HWBs) as integral functions in […]
Area-based vaccination would better protect against COVID-19
The early stages of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the UK have been a remarkable success from many perspectives: we have one of the highest rates of vaccination per capita, high uptake, and the government has met its first vaccination target. However, this rollout has taken place amidst a devastating surge of COVID-19 deaths, and […]
Inequalities in ageing: health disadvantages amongst ethnic minority groups
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on most ethnic minority groups in England. But this inequality is a crisis within a crisis – the pandemic has laid bare and exacerbated existing deep-rooted health inequalities. Here, Dr Ruth Watkinson and Dr Alex Turner, from the Health Organisation, Policy and Economics group (HOPE) and the […]
The Health and Social Care system under strain: Rethinking integration policies in the post-COVID-19 era
In 2019, the NHS published plans (‘The NHS Long Term Plan’) promising to introduce inventive, ambitious ways to bring NHS and social care together across England, working with the private and voluntary sector, and users and carers. Needless to say, things have changed since 2019. Nevertheless, the recent COVID-19 pandemic is showing us just how […]
Fixing the NHS in England: what do NHS England’s proposed changes to legislation mean?
Professor Kath Checkland of the University’s Health Organisation, Policy and Economics unit (HOPE) investigates what the legislative changes accompanying the Government’s new ‘Long-Term Plan’ for the NHS actually mean in practice. Proposals for legislative change have been included in the Government’s new ‘Long-Term Plan’ for the NHS in an attempt to counteract some of the unhelpful consequences […]
When is a plan not a plan? Reflections on the NHS Long Term Plan.
Professor Kath Checkland and Dr Jon Hammond of the University’s Health Organisation, Policy and Economics unit (HOPE) share their thoughts on the Government’s new ‘Long-Term Plan’ for the NHS. The new NHS Long Term Plan, and the investment associated with it, are welcome announcements but still fall short of most accepted definitions of ‘plan’ A full […]