King’s Fund commission calls for ring-fenced health and social care budget

A commission set up by the King’s Fund called last month for a single ring-fenced health and social care budget to meet the needs of 21st century patients and service users. The interim report from the five-strong commission, chaired by Kate Barker, says that England should move towards a single, ring-fenced budget for health and social care, with services singly commissioned and entitlements more closely aligned. With the NHS and social care now under significant financial strain, the report presents hard choices about how to pay for fairer entitlements and ensure adequate funding to meet future needs. The independent commission was set up by The King’s Fund to re-examine the post-war settlement, which established separate systems for health and social care.