Website of the Department of Health

Summary report

A summarised version of chapters 1 through 8, including links to the individual chapters.

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Introduces the report and the Department's overarching direction.

Chapter 2 - Delivering Better Public Services

This section outlines the aims and objectives of the Department. We also list the progress against those targets set following the 1998, 2000 and 2002 Spending Reviews. The 2000 Review was also informed by 15 cross-departmental reviews of issues that may benefit from a joint approach involving two or more Government departments. Some of these reviews resulted in targets that appear in our Department's Public Service Agreement. Progress is also shown against these as well as our Modernising Government action plans.

Chapter 3 - Expenditure

Chapter 3 provides information on the Government's expenditure plans up until 2007-08 and includes details of expenditure in 2002-03. Supplementary tables to this chapter can be found in the Annexes A1 to A3.

Chapter 4 - Investment

Investment continues to play a pivotal role in the modernisation of the NHS. The NHS Plan and the Departmental Investment Strategy set out a planned programme of investment in the NHS. This chapter serves to highlight those priorities.

Chapter 5 - Delivering the NHS Plan - Next Steps for Investment and Reform

The NHS Plan set the direction for modernisation and reform. It set out how an NHS fit for the 21st century will be delivered. The next steps for investment and reform were published in Delivering the NHS Plan in April 2002. A summary of the progress to date in achieving those aims is given.

Chapter 6 - Breakdown of Spending Programme

This provides a breakdown of spending across our main programme areas (NHS, Family Health Services and Personal Social Services etc) as well as providing such breakdowns as spend per head of population and by age profile.

Chapter 7 - Activity, Performance and Efficiency

Chapter 7 is broken down into 4 main areas: Activity, Performance, Efficiency and Personal Social Services activity, Performance and Efficiency. It provides such activity data as hospital activity, in-patient and out-patient waiting trends as well as those services provided by General and Personal Medical Services. It also demonstrates how we are making improvements in our performance and efficiency that will enable the effective delivery of services.

Chapter 8 - Managing the Department of Health

This section outlines the running costs, staffing, recruitment policy and senior civil service salaries of the Department as well as describing the environment in which we operate.

Annexes

The Annexes provide a list of the Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs), NHS Bodies and Agencies that help the Department discharge its functions. There is also an account of the Department of Health's spend on publicity, advertising and sponsorship. The Annexes also contain tables that are supplementary to other sections in this report.

• Download Summary report (PDF, 216K)
• Download Chapter 1 - Introduction Departmental report 2004 (PDF, 285K)
• Download Chapter 2 Delivering better public services - progress (PDF, 255K)
• Download Chapter 3 Expenditure (PDF, 208K)
• Download Chapter 4 Investment (PDF, 209K)
• Download Chapter 5 - Delivering the NHS Plan - Next Steps for Investment and Reform (PDF, 319K)
• Download Chapter 6 Breakdown of spending programme (PDF, 206K)
• Download Chapter 7 Activity, Performance and Efficiency (PDF, 224K)
• Download Chapter 8 - Managing the Department of Health (PDF, 124K)
• Download Annexes, Bibliography, List of figures and Glossary (PDF, 265K)
• Download Full contents list (PDF, 131K)
• Download Departmental report 2004 - Cover (PDF, 155K)
• Download Departmental Report 2004 -warning large file (PDF, 1037K)