Abstract
The aim of this chapter is to describe the development of health policy and to summarise key issues in the funding and provision of health care. The chapter begins with an analysis of trends in NHS expenditure and an assessment of the sources of funding and its distribution. This leads into a discussion of current policy issues in relation to public health, health care and social care. The chapter concludes with a review of priority-setting or rationing.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Guide to Further Reading
Useful summaries of contemporary issues in health policy are provided in the annual reports of the Department of Health (for example, DH 1998a) and the annual guidance on planning and priorities. Information on expenditure trends and the performance of the NHS since its establishment is contained in the compendium of statistics produced by the Office of Health Economics (1997). More specific information is best tracked by consulting circulars, White Papers and other policy statements issued by the Department of Health. Examples include the Green Paper on public health (Secretary of State for Health, 1998a), the consultation paper on quality in the new NHS (Secretary of State for Health, 1998b), and the paper on the development of partnership working (Department of Health, 1998c). Reports from other organisations, like the Audit Commission’s review of services for older people, offer a commentary on particular initiatives (Audit Commission, 1997). Experience of rationing in the NHS is analysed by Klein, Day and Redmayne (1996).
Copyright information
© 1999 Christopher Ham
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ham, C. (1999). Contemporary Issues in Health Policy. In: Health Policy in Britain. Public Policy and Politics. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-27706-3_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-27706-3_5
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-76407-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-27706-3
eBook Packages: Palgrave Political & Intern. Studies CollectionPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)