The U.K. Way, Spending and Measuring in the National Health Service: Lessons for Canada

Since the late 1990s, the United Kingdom has experimented with massive reform of its National Health Service (NHS), supported by considerable new money. Unquestionably, the U.K.’s acceptance of experimentation with policy and practice, supported by collaborative work with many stakeholders, could have application in Canada. Canada could learn from the changes in England, in particular. The U.K. Way, Spending and Measuring in the National Health Service: Lessons for Canada is geared toward Canadian decision-makers to help them understand the possibilities and concerns presented by the U.K.’s experience with health-care reform. After a broad description of the NHS, the report then examines elements of the recent reforms, which have been based on the premise that new spending must be accompanied by efforts to make performance and productivity gains. We can look with interest to the U.K.’s ambitious strategy and its initial success in achieving many of these gains within the NHS.