The pressures facing the NHS are national, but the evidence is local. To investigate, we read a year of public board papers from every NHS trust in one region, the North West: 31 trusts and the three integrated care boards that oversee them. They show a repeating cycle: savings targets that cannot be met, cuts to posts, and boards recording serious risks to patient care, money, staffing and buildings.
The same pressures exist across England. This study provides deeper detail on how managers cope with the financial pressure. Use the links below to explore the findings.
Read our summary of what we found: How a damaging cycle is getting in the way of developing the NHS we need.
Coming to your region. We plan to repeat this review across England. If you work in the NHS anywhere in the country and recognise this picture, we want to hear from you.
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