iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Also vital in this context to do the boring, very unsexy work of fixing NHS approach to performance and financial management (more on this) And to have a hard nosed conversation about what we can afford and what we can't (particularly given innovation coming down the line!). 7/

100

Resources will be tight for years to come (thanks low economic growth and geopolitics!). That makes it even more important to direct investment to where it will generate the best outcomes at lowest cost: capital, social care, primary and community services. 6/

100

The NHS's problems are real and deep, but they stem from long-term underinvestment and resource misallocation, not the funding model. Capital spend sits at half the average of the 22 countries we analysed, and we spend less on long-term care (i.e. rehab) and social care. 5/

100

Tax-funded systems hold real advantages - lower out-of-pocket costs for patients, less reliance on voluntary insurance and significantly lower admin costs. 4/

100

We analysed 22 high-income countries and the evidence is clear: there is no systematic difference in performance between tax-funded and social health insurance (SHI) systems. Performance varies far more within funding model types than between them. 3/

100

Calls to shift the NHS to a European-style insurance model grow lounder when the system is under pressure. Despite some green shoots of recovery, the NHS is still in its most difficult period. But is changing the funding model the answer to the NHS's performance woes? 2/

100

Sam Alvis @samalvis.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Great to release Bismarck versus Beveridge Revisited this morning at an even with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Here you can see me in my centrist dad outfit explain the findings, but quick 🧵 below 1/

123

Reposted by Sebastian Rees

UK - heading for another energy induced CoL shock? Maybe but not huge 🤞 1) It's at the moment an oil price issue not yet gas. We'll pay more at the pump. ~2/3 of UK oil comes from US/Norway, more expensive but not threatened. 2) Gas prices don't really track oil. 40% of UK gas is imported...

2117

Reposted by Sebastian Rees

Peter Walker @peterwalker99.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

And Toby Young will lead a commission looking at how to "end the institutional self-censorship that stops people from doing the right thing". Not 100% sure what that means.

397811

Sebastian Rees @sebrees1.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

I think a merged Providers and Confed could be a very powerful idea. But they've missed a trick on the name IMO. The NHS Syndicate, the NHS Entente, the NHS Bloc all preferable... Or maybe to draw on an adjacent sector, NHS United, NHS Rovers, NHS Rangers or NHS Wanderers would have worked.

210

Reposted by Sebastian Rees

Jamie O'Halloran @jamie-ohalloran.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

What's one of the best ways to measure population health? We'd argue it's Healthy Life Expectancy - capturing not just how long we live, but how many of those years are spent in good health. New figures are out today. The picture isn't good. At a national level, England's HLE continues to fall.

11913

Reposted by Sebastian Rees

Mary Dixon-Woods @marydixonwoods.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

And doing better with dental data is important to improving access www.bmj.com/content/391/...

022

Reposted by Sebastian Rees

Roman A. @romanad.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

A man who heroically tackled and disarmed one of the Bondi Beach gunmen has been unmasked. The hero has been named as 43-year-old Ahmed al Ahmed, a Sydney local who owns a fruit shop in Sutherland. www.news.com.au/national/nsw...

10376109

Reposted by Sebastian Rees

Max Warner @maxwarner.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

NEW: Hospital productivity growth is beating the government’s targets. So why hasn't the NHS made more progress on cutting elective waiting times? In a new @theifs.bsky.social comment, we examine what’s driving the divergence between two of the government’s biggest NHS priorities. 1/11

35410

Sebastian Rees @sebrees1.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

America can not be trusted with the World Cup

110

Reposted by Sebastian Rees

Picker @pickereurope.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

It’s time to rethink how the #NHS listens to patients. Our new report shows the Friends and Family Test isn’t giving the insights the NHS needs and sets out a plan for a reformed, co-produced replacement. Read the full release here: bit.ly/FFTReport25. [1/2]

245

I read the performance tracker with great interest! Particularly this section on staff sickness and catchment areas by deprivation. Did you find any other interesting associations with catchment area deprivation and performance?

110

Want to learn more or get involved? Reach out! And watch this space – we’ll be sharing updates on our work in the coming weeks. 🚀 Ends/

000

The Centre for Health and Prosperity aims to close this gap. By working in partnership and creating new platforms, we’ll drive meaningful, lasting change in health and care! 5/

100

A troubling gap exists: Policymakers often feel powerless to make lasting improvements; Operational leaders feel they are drowning in frameworks & guidance that don’t seem to connect with frontline challenges 🤯 4/

100

But we’re not stopping at ideas. Our focus is now on making change happen. Too often, ambitious health programmes struggle to survive the messy realities of delivery. ⚡ 3/

100

The Centre will build off the brilliant work of the Commission on Health and Prosperity, continuing to demonstrate that investment in health is Britain’s greatest untapped route to prosperity. 💷 2/

100

Amy Gandon @amygandon.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

Exciting news from @ippr.org HQ today as we officially launch our Centre for Health and Prosperity, a permanent home for progressive thinking on all things health and care. 💡 1/

152

Reposted by Sebastian Rees

1/ One of the privileges of writing 'It Takes A Village' with @ippr.org has been hearing from parents about what it’s really like raising healthy children today. Together with a @publicfirst.bsky.social survey of 1,500+ parents, we held 6 focus groups across England. Here are my key takeaways 👇

197

Commentators often hold up Sweden (with lower beds per head) as an example of how bed numbers can be reduced with investment in primary and community care. Most of those commentators don't really ask any critical questions about Sweden...

110

When we look at international evidence on bed numbers, it is clear that total and level of occupancy in England are currently not safe. There are few 'transformational' approaches to delivery that would fix this problem.

100

FWIW I find it very implausible that the NHS will need less G&A beds over time - even with shift to more digitally provided care and options closer to home. Increasing bed numbers is not a 'good' thing in itself but it certainly would do a lot to help with flow.

100