Press coverage

Aidan Shilson-Thomas, Researcher at Reform, wrote an article in Public Finance about community sentencing. Despite a lack of sentence confidence, evidence suggests that community sentencing has lower re-offending rates, and is cheaper to implement, than short sentencing.

"Increasing sentencer confidence in community sentences must be the first step to building public confidence in their use."

Read the full article here. 

On Tuesday 11 December, Reform launched its report, Making NHS data work for everyone. The report was covered by The Times, PharmaTimes, Health Service Journal, Public Technology, OnMedica, Practice Business, Hapia, The Kings Fund, Healthcare Leader and Healthwatch York. 

The report was referenced in the Department of Health and Social Care's publication, Code of Conduct for data-driven health and care technology. 

It has also been covered globally in Russia. 

Commenting on the National Audit Office’s annual report on the financial sustainability of the NHS, Andrew Haldenby, Director of the independent public services think tank, Reform, said:

“The NHS has used extra money for day-to-day pressures rather than to change and become more efficient. Ministers hope that their new plan will be different, especially because some money is ringfenced for GPs and cannot be used to finance hospital deficits.”

Commenting on today’s study from the Institute for Government, Dr Luke Heselwood, Senior Researcher at Reform think tank and co-author of the report ‘Smarter Working in Public Services: The HMRC experience so far’, said:

“Retention of staff has consistently been a problem facing the civil service. Recent research from Reform shows that the civil service can offer a better work-life balance, enhance productivity and improve retention by doing things such as promoting flexible working.”

Andrew Haldenby, Director of Reform, was interviewed for The Economist to discuss the NHS Long Term Plan. The full article can be found here (£). 

But Andrew Haldenby of Reform, a think-tank, says that progress in most existing icss has been slow. Change is rarely brought about by “bureaucratic exhortation”, he notes.

Responding to the final report of Shelter’s commission on the future of social housing, Dr Luke Heselwood, Senior Researcher at Reform think tank, said:

“A lack of social housing has contributed to England’s homelessness crisis. However, homelessness is not just about housing and public services need to work together to tackle its root causes, including mental health problems and family breakdown.”  

Andrew Haldenby, Director of Reform, appeared on BBC Radio 4's 'Today' programme to discuss the NHS Long Term Plan. He argued that the NHS was in a similar place five years ago, with an influx of money and a five-year plan. We are in a similar position today and yet not enough reform has happened in that period. 

Nevertheless, the NHS's long-term plan is good and focuses on the right areas such as prevention and moving into primary care. But political leadership needs to be strong to hold NHS authorities to account, and progress made should be extremely clear throughout the process, not just at the end of the ten-year period. 

You can listen to the show again here. 

On Thursday 11 January 2018, Reform launched its report, Thinking on its own: AI in the NHS. The report was covered in a range of different publications including The Independent, The Register, Computer Weekly, UK Authority, Pulse Today, Government Computing, Science Business, The British Journal of Healthcare Computing, IT Pro, CBR Government, The Public Purse, Gizmodo, Digital by Default News, Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, The King’s Fund, Think Digital Partners, Cloud Pro, Cognition X, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Digital Health, Data IQ, AI Vexo, Machine Learning, Pharmafield, In Focus, Telecare LIN, The Robotics Law Journal, Evidence in Mind, ZPB, Royal College of Nursing, Healthy London Partnership, Essex LPC, Health Estates and Facilities Management Association, Primary Care Commissioning Community Interest Company, LinkedIn, Outcomes Based Healthcare, Internet of Business, Government Computing, Older People’s Commission for Wales, Open Mind, British Journal of Healthcare Computing, Health and Social care.ai, Healthcare News, Lord Darzi’s report: Better health and care for all: a 10 point plan for the 2020s, Barclays, The Register, Nuffield Bioethics, Good Governance Institute, Microsoft, GovTech Leaders, ITPro, The Royal Society, Knowledge Brief, Oxford Insights, Frontline (physiotherapy magazine for CSP members), The Medic Portal, Pharma Times, DKV (Deep Knowledge Ventures) and Breathe News. The Mayor of London's report on AI also features the report. The NHS Topol Review features the report. 

Global coverage includes Elecfans in China, DigiNews in Taiwan, in Russia (here, here and here), AI Policy Labs in the USA, Ministry of Health library in New Zealand, Quebec Newsletter and the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health in Canada, E-health Research in Norway, in Australia and in California. It was also mentioned in the World Health Organization's report on digitizing national health systems in Europe. Reform‘s report is specifically mentioned on pg 23 -4, along with a mention for Eleonora Harwich, Director of Research and Head of Digital and Tech Innovation specifically.

Reading lists that mention the report include Keyah Consulting, Wilton Park, IBM Watson Health and the Kent Surrey Sussex AHSN’s recent report.

Commenting on statistics published by the ONS today, Reform Researcher, Imogen Farhan, said:

“Public services need to work together to tackle the root causes of what makes a person homeless, including substance abuse and mental health problems. Contrary to Theresa May’s statement yesterday, there is more to tackling homelessness than just building more houses.”