The Bulletin

Your biweekly update on health economics, policy, and impact

The NHS promises more patient voice—but will it deliver real change?

If that's all the time you have, we'll see you in the next Bulletin. If you have a few more minutes and want more context, keep going.

David Mott, Associate Director

A decade to deliver: strengthening the patient voice in the NHS

Last week the 10 Year Health Plan for England was launched, outlining a vision for the NHS over the next decade. The plan is ambitious and well-intended but will not be without challenges.

In OHE’s submission to DHSC’s consultation last year, we highlighted the importance of incorporating the patient voice in funding decisions. It is reassuring to see a focus in the plan on strengthening “the role of patient voice and choice” alongside greater emphasis on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and experience measures (PREMs).

At OHE we’ve championed the value of the patient voice in health technology assessment. However, other perspectives matter too. The impact on informal carers – those providing unpaid support to loved ones – is often substantial and should not be overlooked, as we highlighted in a past webinar series.

Ultimately the plan will be judged by its real-world impact on health outcomes. At this years’ OHE Annual Lecture in September, Professor Anita Charlesworth will offer reflections on the economic reality of NHS reform. We hope you’ll join us for what promises to be a timely and insightful discussion.

How can we build a future-ready NHS?

OHE's submission for the DHSC's next 10 years of planning

As the NHS looks ahead to the next decade, OHE’s submission to the DHSC calls for proactive, long-term thinking with prevention, digital health, and health economics in mind. We highlight where investments can have the most significant health returns across communities and lifespans.

Opportunities for the NHS in the next 10 years

Public challenges NICE's severity modifier

Understanding societal preferences for priority by disease severity in England & Wales

OHE surveyed the public to understand how health gains are prioritised between health conditions of differing severities. The results showed that the public gave more weight to health gains at a lower severity level compared to NICE's severity modifier. To what extent should NICE's policies reflect societal preferences?

See why NICE’s current thresholds may need a rethink

Still invisible: including unpaid care in HTA

Caring about Carers: Improving Consideration of the Burden of Informal Caring in HTA

The burden of informal caring can change the impact of illness itself physically, emotionally, and financially. The current health technology assessment (HTA) frameworks often exclude these effects, despite their influence on patient outcomes and system efficiency. How do we fix an assessment process that overlooks this hidden cost?

Recommendations for valuing unpaid carer burden

Ten years to turn it around:
The economic reality of NHS reform

Join us at 18:00 BST on 30th September at the Royal College of Physicians.

With the new NHS 10-Year Plan published, this year’s OHE Annual Lecture takes a critical look at what it will take to turn ambition into action. Health economist Anita Charlesworth discusses the realities behind the roadmap and whether today’s choices can meet tomorrow’s challenges.

Save your place at the Annual Lecture