About this report
The UK faces a series of complex cross-cutting health challenges. Addressing these interrelated issues – from access to services to health and work – requires a fresh approach. Often, no single part of government can tackle these sorts of issues alone and too often the public sector is set up to treat the symptoms of a problem rather than an underlying cause. We must go further and think of the problem more dynamically through a whole-of-government approach (WGA).
A perfect example of this is the recent sharp rise in the number of people out of the workforce due to long-term sickness. This has significant impacts on individuals’ wellbeing, as well as large fiscal and economic costs. It requires concerted cross-government action to reverse these impacts. This is why the NHS Confederation and Boston Consulting Group partnered on a project to identify a set of practical actions the government can take to make progress.
Our report explores these actions. It will be of interest to government and policymakers, as well as the NHS, local delivery partners, funding organisations and stakeholders involved in work addressing the wider social determinants of health.
This report supersedes the interim report published on 25 June 2024.
About us
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NHS Confederation
The NHS Confederation is the membership organisation that brings together, supports and speaks for the whole healthcare system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The members we represent employ 1.5 million staff, care for more than 1 million patients a day and control £150 billion of public expenditure. We promote collaboration and partnership working as the key to improving population health, delivering high-quality care and reducing health inequalities.
Boston Consulting Group
Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we work closely with clients to embrace a transformational approach aimed at benefiting all stakeholders—empowering organizations to grow, build sustainable competitive advantage, and drive positive societal impact.
Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives that question the status quo and spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting, technology and design, and corporate and digital ventures. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, fuelled by the goal of helping our clients thrive and enabling them to make the world a better place.
