The latest briefing in our Policy in an Age of Uncertainty series is by Puren Aktas (Research Fellow at the Third Sector Research Centre, University of Birmingham) on Payment by Results in the NHS in England: addressing the challenges and improving health outcomes.
As the UK government grapples with long waiting lists and funding challenges in the English NHS, debates about structural reforms continue within the health and social care sector. Despite the NHS Long Term Plan, published in 2019, recommending a move away from the Payment by Results (PbR) model for funding hospitals, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent backlog in elective care has impacted a move towards an alternative model. This briefing highlights some of the key challenges with PbR and identifies how current structures could be improved, with a particular focus on the tariffs set for each patient. With PbR looking increasingly likely to continue to have a role in how the NHS in England operates, this briefing is a timely intervention based on research with health professionals.
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