budgetary control

The Red Book 2012 - The annual review of the impact of spending decisions on vulnerable children and families

The ‘Red Book’ is the Government’s financial statement and budget report. It contains economic analysis and summarises the annual budget tax measures.

This annual publication will identify the impact of decisions made in the 2010 spending review on the lives of the most vulnerable and neglected children and young people. It is based on the views of the social care professionals working in Action for Children services. The economic literature review is provided by the Social Market Foundation.

GP budget holding: lessons from across the pond and from the NHS (Policy paper 7)

Paper which draws on evidence from the US as well as on previous experience in the NHS of GP commissioning in different forms, to identify lessons for policy makers as they take this policy forward.

While the government is on the right lines in promoting GP budget holding, the paper suggests that there is a need for caution in promoting budget holding as a universal solution without regard to the capabilities of practices to manage a budget and the safeguards that need to be put in place to avoid the downside risks.