Policy makers and those working in, and interested in, the health sector need to think about the future, and this report is designed to help them to do so. It describes trends and issues towards 2015 for both population health and health care in the UK covering such subjects as disease, society, environment, governance, economy and industry.
The report also raises issues for policy makers based on an analysis of the future. Six major policy issues have been raised for UK health: rising public expectations the ageing population assessing new technologies information and communications technology and information management workforce education training system performance and quality.
The report is a step in building up an analysis of future trends and issues in UK health as we head towards 2015. A broad and forward look shows that health is wider than health care or medical care. It is about improving population health, reducing health inequalities and tackling the environmental factors that have a negative effect on the health of individuals and communities.