Recently, the media as well as various organisations have felt the need to comment on the NHS, at times in quite a disparaging way. We have seen the Red Cross label the NHS Emergency Care as being in a humanitarian crisis, while the BBC has included NHS issues in its daily news broadcasts.

In Q1 of 2016, NHS England created 44 Sustainability Transformation Plans (STP) areas. These are geographical footprints bringing together local health and social care organisations (Local Authority, Clinical Commissioning Groups and NHS Trusts).

During the first stage of the consultation on the National Payment Tariff, NHS England and NHS Improvement have proposed moving towards a new two-year payment tariff to reassure and steady the sector in the wake of budgetary uncertainty.