Friday 22 April 2011

Liberating the NHS: orders of change?

This policy paper aims to develop current discussions and thinking about the new reform programme by presenting a policy analysis of the change and continuity associated with its key proposals.

Liberating the NHS: orders of change?
R Millar, I Snelling, H Brown
University of Birmingham Health Services Management Centre
April 2011

Read more here.

A beginner's guide to commissioning

A guide for development workers supporting local organisations with commissioning.

A beginner's guide to commissioning
J Dawson
NAVCA
2011

Read more here.

Variations in health care

"The existence of persistent unwarranted variations in health service resources. The existence of persistent unwarranted variations in health care directly impacts on equity of access to services, the health outcome of populations and efficient use of resources."

Variations in health care: the good, the bad and the inexplicable
J Appleby, V Raleigh, F Frosini, G Bevan, H Gao, T Lyscom
The King's Fund
April 2011

Read more here.

Sunday 17 April 2011

Reducing expenditure on low clinical value treatments

"This briefing looks at primary care trusts'(PCTs) spending on low clinical value treatments and how some PCTs have successfully reduced their spending in this area."

Reducing expenditure on low clinical value treatments: a health briefing
Audit Commission
April 2011

Read a summary or download the full version here.

Transforming community services

The Transforming Community Services programme has developed 43 indicators for quality improvement.

Transforming community services: demonstrating and measuring achievement: community indicators for quality improvement
Department of Health
March 2011

Read more here.

Achieving high-quality care at manageable costs

"Lessons from the States are often relegated to the ‘too different to be useful’ box, but on closer inspection there are many similarities between American medical groups and the proposed GP consortia."

Achieving high-quality care at manageable costs: a lesson for GP consortia
P Zollinger-Read
The King's Fund blog
15th April 2011

Read more here.

Burden of disease and economic evaluation of healthcare interventions

"The allocation of limited available healthcare resources demands an agreed rational allocation principle and the consequent priority setting."

Burden of disease and economic evaluation of healthcare interventions: are we investigating what really matters?
F Catala-Lopez, A Garcia-Altes, E Alvarez-Martin, R Genova-Maleras, C Morant-Ginestar, A Parada
BMC Health Services Research, 2011, 11:75

Read more here.

Sunday 10 April 2011

Building new relationships between people with long-term conditions and a supportive health service

"Co-creating Health is the Health Foundation’s improvement programme that helps people with long term conditions take control of their health and supports them to self manage."

Snapshot: co-creating health: building new relationships between people with long-term conditions and a supportive health service
The Health Foundation
April 2011

Read more here.

English NHS embarks on controversial and risky market-style reforms

"Successive governments have sought to improve the quality, cost-effectiveness, and equity of the care provided by the English National Health Service (NHS)."

English NHS embarks on controversial and risky market-style reforms in health care
M Roland, R Rosen
New England Journal of Medicine, 2011, 6th April

Read more here.

Determining the value of drugs

"Although the British and U.S. health care systems differ markedly, some policy experts in both countries see improving health care value propositions as one solution to the conundrum of sky-rocketing costs and limited resources."

Determining the value of drugs — the evolving British experience
RR Faden, K Chalkidou
New England Journal of Medicine, 2011, 6th April

Read more here.

A progress report on four early leaders in patient safety improvement

"Four case studies document the progress achieved in the past five years by health care organizations that were early leaders in patient safety improvement."

Keeping the commitment: a progress report on four early leaders in patient safety improvement
D McCarthy, S Klein
The Commonwealth Fund
March 2011

Read more here.

Monday 4 April 2011

Improving the quality of care in general practice

Report of an independent inquiry commissioned by The King's Fund.

Improving the quality of care in general practice
N Goodwin, A Dixon, T Poole, V Raleigh
The King's Fund
2011

Read more here.

Performance measurement for health system improvement

"Performance measurement for health system improvement is an authoritative and practical guide for policy makers, regulators, patient groups and researchers."

Performance measurement for health system improvement: experiences, challenges and prospects
European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
Cambridge University Press 2009

Read more here.

Effectiveness of strategies to change organisational culture

"Current available evidence does not identify any effective, generalisable strategies to change organisational culture."

The effectiveness of strategies to change organisational culture to improve healthcare performance: a systematic review
E Parmelli, G Flodgren, F Beyer, N Baillie, M Schaafsma, MP Eccles
Implementation Science, 2011, 633

Read more here.

Cost-effective prescribing

The Department has issued guidance on the use of the prescribing Better Care Better Value Indicators, especially in relation to the indicator for statins.

Cost-effective prescribing: better care better value (BCBV) indicator on statins
C Pearson
Department of Health
April 2011

Read more here.