John Appleby

About John Appleby

John Appleby is chief economist at the King’s Fund. He has researched and published widely on many aspects of health service policy. John has worked as an economist for the NHS, and as a senior lecturer and visiting professor in economics. He is an adviser to the Northern Ireland government on implementation of his review of health and social care services.

Waiting times: how long is a political argument? by John Appleby

16 May 2011 | John Appleby

NHS waiting times were once again the subject of heated exchanges in the Commons at last week’s Prime Minister Questions. So is Ed Miliband correct to charge the coalition government with presiding over longer waiting times and how plausible is the prime minister’s denial? As the King’s Fund shows in its updated tracker the answer depends on how you measure it. Read more...

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NHS spending: April fooled? By John Appleby

5 April 2011 | John Appleby

In all the discussion about health service reform, another issue is in danger of being overlooked. Will the NHS be getting a real increase each year, as promised, over the next four years of the Spending Review, or not? The  Budget cast new light on this through two separate announcements. Read more...

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Question time for Osborne on health, by John Appleby

13 October 2010 | John Appleby

With the Spending Review almost upon us, here are ten searching questions for the Chancellor on the NHS: Read more...

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A mixed Budget for the NHS, by John Appleby

24 June 2010 | John Appleby

As expected George Osborne’s first Budget set out a combination of spending cuts and tax increases as part of the coalition government’s strategy for reducing the country’s structural deficit. Read more...

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NHS will feel PBR pain, by John Appleby

9 December 2009 | John Appleby

Revenge and justice are satisfied as bankers get a big boot in their bonuses –  contributing a few steps on the long march to plugging the government’s debt gap. But something a bit more heavy duty has to be done to deal with the gaping debt hole facing the government – a debt that if not dealt with will become unsustainably large. Read more...

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Tough call for NHS finance, by John Appleby

22 July 2009 | John Appleby

The financial crisis is estimated by the Treasury to have dealt a permanent blow to the size of the UK economy. This will inevitably have a significant knock-on impact on the strength of the public finances. But despite this, both the Labour and Conservative parties have said they would not cut NHS funding in real terms from 2011 onwards. Read more...

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