Trump and pharma are lobbying gov hard to water-down the NHS’s ability to contain spending on new branded drugs. Today’s long read from me and the LSE’s Huseyin Naci sets out why the gov should hold firm to protect the health of the NHS and UK public nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/th... >>

PSA that the purpose of the #NHS is NOT to provide investment opportunities or lucrative income streams for the pharmaceutical industry #r4today >>

Editorial from me and LSE’s Huseyin Naci on the government's bid to use the NHS as a means to attract more med tech and pharma investment into the UK. TLDR: great for profits, less great for getting the most value for patients out of the NHS www.bmj.com/content/390/...

Growth or bust. The one where the purpose of the NHS is to rescue capitalism: www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/an...

NEW: A long read from @sallygainsbury.bsky.social examines a conundrum for policy makers: How can the NHS meet public demand while also positioning the NHS as an engine for economic growth? www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/an...

The quaint idea the #NHS exists to improve health has been supplemented with the idea it can also drive economic #growth. My thoughts on the gamble the gov is making by inviting in more tech- and pharma- and whether we’ll end up with less as a consequence: www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/an...

ICYMI: Senior Policy Analyst @sallygainsbury.bsky.social discussed the 10 Year Health Plan on this week's episode of Inside Health. Listen back 👇 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

gregfellpublichealth.wordpress.com/2025/07/05/p... Polygenic risk scoring and precision prevention Cynics view

🆕 Following recent press speculation that the UK may soon agree to pay more for drugs used within the #NHS as part of a trade deal with the USA, we asked experts @markgdayan.bsky.social and @sallygainsbury.bsky.social to explain the situation. 💊

The government has set the NHS’s budget for the next 3 years, now it needs to be realistic about its priorities - my comment piece in the BMJ: www.bmj.com/content/389/...

The #NHS settlement from the #spendingreview may look generous, but it soon melts away in the context of existing commitments - govt must be clear about the compromises. Social care is also unlikely to see the transformation we were promised. @sallygainsbury.bsky.social‬ response 👇

Ahead of the SR next week, my long read today looks at where the £22.6bn extra cash chancellor Reeves added to health spending in England for this year has gone. A thread >>

What does today's #SpringStatement mean for health and social care? 💷 Read our response from @sallygainsbury.bsky.social to find out some of the most important takeaways. 👇

It's going to be a busy week in the public finances, with the Spring Statement on Weds. Our small team of #NHS & social care funding analysts will be poring over the detail. If you fancy joining us for the NEXT fiscal event, see here>> Closes 23.59 Weds >> www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/job/fellow-f...

A must-read report from my colleagues here >>>

Job alert! Come join our team investigating funding and spending in health and social care. It’s going to be interesting…. >>>>

Me in the FT on the economic imperative behind this week’s move to abolish NHSE www.ft.com/content/4331...

This essay which is free to read in The Times this weekend is essential reading on the real harms created by over-diagnosis, including the inequity it creates when those most in need are crowded out: www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

🚨 NEW BLOG: #NHSEngland is being scrapped, but the reasons for its rise and fall are not going away. @markgdayan.bsky.social & @leonoramerry.bsky.social look at how far things have changed since NHSE was created 12 years ago. www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/th...

If you're wondering how far abolishing NHS England will go to filling the NHS's £6.5bn funding gap for the year ahead, the answer is: not very. NHSE spent a total £1.8bn on staff last year, of which £400m was on staff working for local NHS orgs. Many of these posts will need to continue in DHSC

As NHS England’s chiefs sit down with local trust chairs and chief execs to discuss a “financial re-set”, a quick reminder of how difficult the financial situation is in the NHS right now. A short thread >>

Government this week: “we need to get people off out-of-work benefits”. Also the gov this week: “we need to get rid of 1000s of low paid civil servants and replace them with AI”. Genuinely interested in how that vicious circle can be squared

The financial situation in the NHS right now is seriously bleak. If you are interested in joining our small team of researchers dedicated to bringing the facts to public debate and holding those in power to account, do check out our newly-created post: www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/job/fellow-f...

🆕 Ahead of this week’s Nuffield Trust Summit, our Chair Martin Marshall picks out some highlights from the two-day programme and explains why this year it’s so important to gather together to have difficult conversations about health and care. #NTSummit buff.ly/hglNcUU

Tomorrow, you can tune in to a discussion with #NHS 10 Year Plan Director @sallywarren.bsky.social at our Summit. How can the plan succeed? #NTSummit Find out more about the livestream here: events.zoom.us/ev/Ahm9SLEL2...

Job alert: We’re looking for someone who wants to play a key part in our forensic analysis of NHS funding and finance, working closely with me as well as my other brilliant colleagues at Nuffield Trust on health and social care policy, details here www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/job/fellow-f...

The Department for Health and Social Care's resource budget for this current financial year will get a ~£900m funding boost to help it deal with cost pressures, which I suspect largely relate to the escalating overspends in NHS trusts >>

Our new analysis out today looks at the deteriorating finances of NHS trusts. NHS trusts consume over 75% of the English NHS budget, so if you want to know how the NHS is coping with its current funding, your starting point should be the doubling of the trust overspend to £1.2bn by March 2024 >>

Bit mean of the big girls to break poor Gregg Wallace’s dog whistle

Really important points and crucial research questions too: are privately-purchased wearables driving up publicly-funded healthcare costs (inc on unnecessary diagnosis and treatment) and further skewing expenditure away from those most in need?

Yep this

Of course ministers and advisors talking up potential of health tech and “personal responsibility”: annual real terms increases in the #NHS budget after adjusting for population age are set to be around a third of the level they were last time Labour were in government #itisaboutthemoney

With Alan Milburn back influencing NHS policy, a key point to grasp is that when Labour were last in gov, NHS funding rose on average by over 5% real terms per head each year, even after adjusting for population age. Last month’s budget left it at nearer 2% per age adjusted head >>

My analysis for the BMJ on where the budget has left the NHS in England and its £4.8bn funding hole is now also available for free on our own website, here www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/wh...

My post-budget analysis for the BMJ. NHS costs are rising faster than funding levels awarded in Rachel Reeve’s first budget www.bmj.com/content/387/...

🆕 With all eyes on this week’s #budget announcement, will social care be overlooked again? Natasha Curry & Camille Oung say the government needs to invest in the sector now to stabilise it, otherwise there may be little left to reform in the longer term. www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/so...

In my new analysis out today I look at the minimum the Chancellor needs to do next week to stablise the finances of the NHS in England and fill a £4.8bn funding gap for the current year A THREAD >> www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/ho...

Whilst on the subject of obesity and the huge income inequalities we see in its prevalence, esp for children: the other no brainer that needs to be addressed is getting schools actively onboard with physical activity and giving them space in the curriculum to do that >>

while politicians get excited about jabs for people with obesity, my annual(ish) reminder/rant that for a parent to take 2 school kids swimming during school holidays next week will cost £21.16 for a single trip in my local charity-ran not a-typical leisure centre >>

We’ve avoided the question of what a fair and just NHS should prioritise for far too long. In the absence of clarity, those with the greatest resources and loudest voices often prevail. Not just in the waiting room, but also in setting the agenda (1/4) >>

Darzi has set out the NHS’s major challenges, not least of which is the political reluctance to increase its funding amid low productivity. NHS Eng's budget this yr is 1.5% higher in real terms than last yr. Adjusted for pop growth and aging, that’s just a 0.2% real terms increase per person, or £6

Just heard @stevewebb1.bsky.social proposing a universal winter fuel payment for those over 80 due to higher health-based need. Problem with age based eligibility tho is it misses the fact poorer people on average suffer poor health at much younger age www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/resource/cha...