Wednesday 12 December 2012

Reducing colorectal surgical site infections


"In partnership with the American College of Surgeons, the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare led a multi-institutional collaboration of seven leading U.S. hospitals, which was established to reduce colorectal SSIs."

Reducing colorectal surgical site infections
Joint Commission's Center for Transforming Healthcare
December 2012

Read more here.

Tuesday 11 December 2012

Creating change: Innovation, Health and Wealth one year on


This is a progress report in response to last year's Innovation Health and Wealth, accelerating adoption and diffusion in the NHS (IHW). "The only way we will improve outcomes and quality for patients in a tighter economic climate is through innovation – both incremental and disruptive."

Creating change: Innovation, Health and Wealth one year on
Department of Health
December 2012

Read more here.

Using safety cases in industry and healthcare


"This report reviews the available evidence and practice in order to provide a clear description of how safety cases have been used in other safety critical industries, and to identify and describe their potential application within healthcare."

Using safety cases in industry and healthcare
The Health Foundation
December 2012

Read more here.

Making ambulance handover delays a thing of the past


"In this report, we have looked at ambulance turnaround delays on a national and whole system basis for the first time. "

Zero tolerance: making ambulance handover delays a thing of the past
NHS Confederation, Association of Ambulance Chief Executives
December 2012

Read more here.

Providing community-based health practitioners with timely and accurate discharge medicines information


"The Medicines Information Transfer Fax (MITF) is an effective approach for the timely delivery of accurate discharge medicines information to community-based practitioners responsible for the patient's ongoing care."

Providing community-based health practitioners with timely and accurate discharge medicines information
AV Gilbert, B Patel, M Morrow, D Williams, MS Roberts, AL Gilbert
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:453

Read more here.

Monday 10 December 2012

General practice in London: supporting improvements in quality


"We hope this report will inspire GP leaders and commissioners to think differently about the future of general practice in London, and encourage them to develop innovative, local solutions to ensure that all Londoners enjoy good health and access to high-quality care."

General practice in London: supporting improvements in quality
V Raleigh, Y Tian, N Goodwin, A Dixon, J Thompson, C Millett, M Soljak
The King's Fund
December 2012

Read more here.

Malnutrition matters: meeting quality standards in nutritional care


"This Toolkit will assist commissioners and providers to deliver high quality nutritional care across all care settings and meet national nutritional quality targets including those of the Care Quality Commission."

Malnutrition matters: meeting quality standards in nutritional care
A Brotherton, N Simmonds, M Stroud
British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
November 2012

Read more here.

Seven day consultant present care


The importance of consultants in providing high quality care for patients in hospital has been highlighted recently by the publication of The Benefits of Consultant Delivered Care. This document recognises the significance of delivering the benefits identified in that report, seven days a week.

Seven day consultant present care
Academy of Medical Royal Colleges
December 2012

Access the full report here.

Measuring what matters: the cost vs values of health care


"To achieve greater value for health system costs in Canada, we offer three recommendations to make a shift towards delivering value to Canadians in a cost effective, sustainable, and patient-centric model of health care."

Measuring what matters: the cost vs values of health care
A Snowdon, K Schnarr, A Hussein, C Alessi
Ivey International Centre for Health Innovation
November 2012

Read more here.

Systematic archiving and access to health research data


"Systematically archiving data from health research and large-scale surveys and ensuring access to databases offer economic benefits and can improve the accountability, efficiency and quality of scientific research."

Systematic archiving and access to health research data: rationale, current status and way forward
M Rani, BS Buckley
Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2012, 90(12):932-939

Read more here.

Organizational road maps for value-driven health care


"Healthcare provider organizations must work to close the value gap by improving quality while reducing the total cost of care to the purchaser."

Organizational road maps for value-driven health care
Healthcare Financial Management Association
November 2012

Read more here.

Thursday 6 December 2012

A good death: the role of the local authority in end of life care


"This research shows that progress has been made in some areas of the country, but that there is further still to go in developing a fully integrated approach to end of life care that draws in the expertise in health, social care and housing to deliver joined up, personalised services."

A good death: the role of the local authority in end of life care
Local Government Information Unit
November 2012

Read more here.

Quality measures: bridging the cultural divide


"Reforms to the NHS in England, currently underway, that involve devolution of budgets to local clinical groups, and a stronger role for regulators, cannot succeed in establishing accountability for the assurance of the quality and safety of care, nor the stewardship of very large amounts of tax-payers’ money, without credible data."

Quality measures: bridging the cultural divide
LJ Donaldson, A Darzi
BMJ Quality and Safety, 21:969-972

Read more here.

Dr Foster Hospital Guide 2012


"Trusts that provide cost effective care by reducing the length of stay in hospital, avoiding emergency readmissions and using resources effectively can also achieve good outcomes."

Fit for the future: Dr Foster Hospital Guide 2012
Dr Foster Intelligence
December 2012

Read more here.

Making connections with the challenges of unscheduled care


"Integrated care is what the NHS, social care and the voluntary sector thrive for, however in reality it stretches many organisations, and is not easy to achieve."

Making connections with the challenges of unscheduled care
NHS Improvement
November 2012

Read more here.

Spread and Adoption Tool


Developed by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, this tool helps health professionals increase the scale and pace of the spread and adoption of innovation in the NHS.

Access the tool here.

Compassion in practice


"This strategy sets out our shared purpose as nurses, midwives and care staff to deliver high quality, compassionate care, and to achieve excellent health and wellbeing outcomes."

Compassion in practice
Commissioning Board Chief Nursing Officer, DH Chief Nursing Adviser
Department of Health
December 2012

Read more here.

Monday 3 December 2012

Cumbria Partnership Journal of Research, Practice and Learning


The Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust publishes an academic journal, the Cumbria Partnership Journal of Research, Practice and Learning, in both print and electronic format. The electronic version is freely available on their website at this link:

The content is grouped under the following headings:

  • Research reports
  • Education and learning
  • Quality/organisational change
  • Reflective practice/case studies

Cost comparison of MRSA screening and management


"It was shown that universal MRSA screening strategies are far more cost-intensive than the targeted screening approaches."

Cost comparison of MRSA screening and management: a decision tree analysis
A Tubbicke, C Hubner, NO Hubner, C Wegner, A Kramer, S Flessa
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:438

Read more here.

Care for older people


"This research summary sets out projections of public expenditure on social care and continuing health care for people aged 65 or over in England from 2010 to 2022."

Care for older people
R Wittenberg, B Hu, A Comas-Herrera, JL Fernandez
Nuffield Trust
December 2012

Read more here.

A decade of austerity?


"This research attempts to quantify the funding pressures facing the NHS in England over the decade to 2021/22."

A decade of austerity?
A Roberts, L Marshall, A Charlesworth
Nuffield Trust
December 2012

Read more here.

Friday 30 November 2012

Implementing NICE public health guidance for the workplace


"Making staff health and engagement a central trust value will avoid financial waste and contribute to better patient care."

Implementing NICE public health guidance for the workplace: overcoming barriers and sharing success
Royal College of Physicians
November 2012

Read more here.

Why some people are not offered the medicines that NICE recommends


"Despite best efforts, and a raft of existing initiatives, gaps in diagnostic services, in funding, and in delivery capacity mean that some people that are eligible for a NICE recommended drug are never offered that option."

Bridging the gap: why some people are not offered the medicines that NICE recommends
P Stephens
The IMS Institute
November 2012

Read more here.

Health policy under the coalition government


"This report looks at the policies introduced by the coalition government elected in May 2010 and assesses whether they will address the current and emerging performance issues and what further action is needed."

Health policy under the coalition government: a mid-term assessment
S Gregory, A Dixon, C Ham (eds)
The King's Fund
November 2012

Read more here.

Wednesday 28 November 2012

Ethical decision-making for doctors in the armed forces


"This resource signposts the kinds of ethical factors doctors need to take into consideration when making decisions."

Ethical decision-making for doctors in the armed forces: a tool kit
British Medical Association
November 2012

Access the tool kit here.

Tuesday 27 November 2012

Impact of the Marie Curie Nursing Service on place of death and hospital use at the end of life


"The evaluation examined whether this home-based nursing care helped more people to die at home, and its impact on use and costs of hospital care at the end of life."

The impact of the Marie Curie Nursing Service on place of death and hospital use at the end of life
X Chitnis, T Georghiou, A Steventon, M Bardsley
Nuffield Trust
November 2012

Read more here.

Right Care Casebooks - new additions


Right Care compiles local examples of commissioning work in a series of "Right Care Casebooks". Three more of these casebooks have just been added to the series:

  1. Somerset community-based self-care support service for adults with persistent pain 
  2. What organisation is necessary for commissioners to develop outcomes based contracts?  The COBIC case study
  3. Integrated GP led diabetes care in Bexley – The role of ‘an active integrator’ in developing integration in NHS services

Pathway peer review to improve quality


"This paper explores why and how external peer review can address the vexed question of how best to reinforce existing policy in the pursuit of high-quality care in the NHS."

Pathway peer review to improve quality
B McCormick
The Health Foundation
November 2012

Read more here.

Monday 26 November 2012

Improving health and care: the role of the outcomes frameworks


"This document gives an overview of the three Outcomes Frameworks (public health, adult social care, NHS), their purpose and the way they work together to support the health and care system to meet the challenges it faces."

Improving health and care: the role of the outcomes frameworks
Department of Health
November 2012

Read more here.

NHS continuing healthcare


"This Briefing outlines for commissioners and providers the challenges and opportunities they will need to consider as the responsibilities change for assessing eligibility for and commissioning NHS continuing healthcare."

NHS continuing healthcare
NHS Confederation
November 2012

Read more here.

Health economics research into supporting carers of people with dementia


"This paper reviews outcome measures commonly used in health services research and health economics research involving carers of people with dementia."

Health economics research into supporting carers of people with dementia: a systematic review of outcome measures
C Jones, R Tudor Edwards, B Hounsome
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 2012, 10:142

Read more here.

Friday 23 November 2012

Leadership in a matrix


"Matrix organisations are grid-like organisational structures, commonly used in the management of large projects and product development processes, drawing employees from different functional disciplines for assignment to a team, without removing them from their respective positions."

Leadership in a matrix 
C Devane
NHS Confederation
November 2012

Read more here.

Choosing the place of care


"This report has described how locations of outpatient attendance and inpatient admission have changed since the introduction of patient choice in 2006 and the expansion of independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs) from 2007 onwards."

Choosing the place of care: the effect of patient choice on treatment location in England, 2003-2011
E Kelly, G Tetlow
Nuffield Trust
November 2012

Read more here.

Reforming incentives to promote evidence-based decisions at the point of care


"This paper adds an important perspective by describing how current financial incentives in the 
fee-for-service system lead to the overuse and underuse of services at the point of care by physicians and other clinicians."

Paying wisely: reforming incentives to promote evidence-based decisions at the point of care
EC Rich, T Lake, C Stone Valenzano
Mathematica Policy Research
October 2012

Read more here.

An integrated framework for assessing the value of community-based prevention


"In its new study, An Integrated Framework for Assessing the Value of Community-Based Prevention, an Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee proposes a framework to assess the value of community-based, non-clinical prevention policies and wellness strategies."

An integrated framework for assessing the value of community-based prevention
Institute of Medicine
November 2012

Read more here.

Systematic review of health-related quality of life models


"Recommendations are for researchers to use one of the three common HRQOL models unless there are compelling and clearly delineated reasons for creating new models."

Systematic review of health-related quality of life models
T Bakas, et al.
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 2012, 10:134

Read more here.

International profiles of health care systems, 2012


"Each overview covers health insurance, public and private financing, health system organization, quality of care, health disparities, efficiency and integration, care coordination, use of health information technology, use of evidence-based practice, cost containment, and recent reforms and innovations."

International profiles of health care systems: Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Japan, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States
The Commonwealth Fund
November 2012

Read more here.

Patients’ experience of integrated care


"As a coalition of more than 50 charities campaigning for better services for people with cancer and their families, the Cancer Campaigning Group (CCG) believes that integrated cancer care – a seamless, well co-ordinated service, across GP, hospital and social services – is an essential component of high quality care for every patient."

Patients’ experience of integrated care: A report from the Cancer Campaigning Group
Cancer Campaigning Group
November 2012

Read more here.

Proton pump inhibitors: potential cost reductions by applying prescribing guidelines


"There are opportunities for substantial cost savings in relation to proton pump inhibitors prescribing if implementation of clinical guidelines in terms of generic substitution and step-down therapy is implemented on a national basis."

Proton pump inhibitors: potential cost reductions by applying prescribing guidelines
C Cahir, T Fahey, L Tilson, C Teljeur, K Bennett
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:408

Read more here.

Delay in discharge and its impact on unnecessary hospital bed occupancy


"Elderly patients experiencing acute surgical admission and discharge to community hospitals had prolonged length-of-stay due to significant delays associated with care of the elderly provision."

Delay in discharge and its impact on unnecessary hospital bed occupancy
Majeed MU, et al.
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:410

Read more here.

Strategic clinical networks: single operating framework


"Combining the experience of clinicians, the input of patients and the organisational vision of NHS staff, clinical networks have supported and improved the way we deliver care to patients in distinct areas, delivering true integration across primary secondary and often tertiary care."

Strategic clinical networks: single operating framework
NHS Commissioning Board
November 2012

Read more here.

Thursday 22 November 2012

Systematic review of interventions to enhance access to best practice primary health care for chronic disease management, prevention and episodic care


"This review suggests that multiple, linked strategies targeting different levels of the health care system are most likely to improve access to best practice primary health care."

A systematic review of interventions to enhance access to best practice primary health care for chronic disease management, prevention and episodic care
EJ Comino, G Powell Davies, Y Krastev, M Haas, B Christl, J Furler, A Raymont, MF Harris
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:415

Read more here.

A new model for quality improvement in acute inpatient psychiatry


"The acute assessment model attempts to address the need for the NHS to deliver more for less, whilst remaining focused on service-user and staff satisfaction."

A new model for quality improvement in acute inpatient psychiatry: observational data from an acute assessment unit
J Hayes, R Gibbons, F Outim, S Tang, A Chakraborty
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Short Reports, 2012, 3(9)

Read more here.

Over 150 potentially low-value health care practices


"A total of 5209 articles were screened for eligibility, resulting in 156 potentially ineffective and/or unsafe services being identified for consideration."

Over 150 potentially low-value health care practices: an Australian study
AG Elshaug, AM Watt, L Mundy, CD Willis
Medical Journal of Australia, 2012, 197(10):556-560

Read more here.

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Impact of the Marie Curie Nursing Service on place of death and hospital use at the end of life


"Home-based palliative care has the potential to improve care at the end of life by reducing the demand for costly and often undesirable hospital care, and allowing more people to die at home."

The impact of the Marie Curie Nursing Service on place of death and hospital use at the end of life
X Chitnis, T Georghiou, A Steventon, M Bardsley
Nuffield Trust
November 2012

Read more here.

Collaboration between local health and local government agencies for health improvement


"The results demonstrate that collaborative community partnerships can be established to deliver interventions but it is important to agree goals, methods of working, monitoring and evaluation before implementation to protect programme fidelity and increase the potential for effectiveness."

Collaboration between local health and local government agencies for health improvement
SL Hayes, MK Mann, FM Morgan, MJ Kelly, AL Weightman
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2012 (10):CD007825

Read more here.

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Patient and public engagement


"There will be different types and levels of appropriate engagement depending on the situation, from involvement of individual members of the public in shared decision-making about their own health and care, to local community engagement in co-production of services."

Patient and public engagement: a practical guide for health and wellbeing boards
NHS Confederation
November 2012

Read more here.

Operating principles for joint strategic needs assessments and joint health and wellbeing strategies


"JSNAs and JHWSs are not ends in themselves, but a means to identify the priorities for commissioning to improve health and wellbeing outcomes and reduce health inequalities."

Operating principles for joint strategic needs assessments (JSNA) and joint health and wellbeing (JHWS) strategies
NHS Confederation
November 2012

Read more here.

Encouraging integrated working to improve services for adults and older people


"Agreeing a set of principles to underpin joint working will support effective joint commissioning and prevent it being destabilised by distracting factors."

Encouraging integrated working to improve services for adults and older people
NHS Confederation
November 2012

Read more here.

Patient and public engagement: a practical guide for health and wellbeing boards


"Patient and public engagement (PPE) should take place from the start of the life of health and wellbeing boards and be woven into the DNA of boards throughout their work."

Patient and public engagement: a practical guide for health and wellbeing boards
NHS Confederation
November 2012

Read more here.

Can sustainable hospitals help bend the health care cost curve?


"This study examines data from selected hospitals that have implemented programs to reduce energy use and waste and achieve operating room supply efficiencies."

Can sustainable hospitals help bend the health care cost curve?
S Kaplan, B Sadler, K Little, C Franz, P Orris
The Commonwealth Fund
November 2012

Read more here.

Reporting guidelines for systematic reviews with a focus on health equity


"Increased use of these reporting guidelines will help improve the reporting of effects on both inequities in health outcomes and health care use across gender, socioeconomic position, and other characteristics, both in systematic reviews and eventually primary research, thus contributing to the global agenda to improve health equity."

PRISMA-Equity 2012 Extension: reporting guidelines for systematic reviews with a focus on health equity
V Welch, M Petticrew, P Tugwell, D Moher, J O'Neill, E Waters, H White,
PLOS Med, 2012, 9(10): e1001333

Read more here.

Liaison psychiatry - the way ahead


"The study set out to identify how liaison psychiatry can most effectively contribute to the Government’s quality, innovation, productivity and prevention (QIPP) challenge of improving health outcomes while also reducing healthcare costs."

Liaison psychiatry - the way ahead: issue 249
Mental Health Network
NHS Confederation
November 2012

Read more here.

Friday 9 November 2012

Design and use of performance measures to decrease low-value services and achieve cost-conscious care


"This paper gives an overview of performance measures for low-value services, provides specific examples of possible measures to assess use of low-value services, and discusses how these measures can be used in clinical practice and policy."

Design and use of performance measures to decrease low-value services and achieve cost-conscious care
DW Baker, A Qaseem, P Reynolds, LA Gardner, EC Schneider
Annals of Internal Medicine, Online First 30 October 2012

Read more here.

The match between institutional elderly care management research and management challenges


"Institutional care management research needs to focus more on challenges in integrated care, productivity, ICT and division of labor."

The match between institutional elderly care management research and management challenges - a systematic literature review
K Kokkonen, S Rissanen, A Hujala
Health Research Policy and Systems, 2012, 10:35

Read more here.

Improving GP services in England


"This paper examines whether or not patients’ perceptions about the non-clinical aspects of the quality of care delivered by their GP practices are consistent with practice performance on measures of clinical quality."

Improving GP services in England: exploring the association between quality of care and the experience of patients
VS Raleigh, F Frosini
The King's Fund
November 2012

Read more here.

The Prime Minister's challenge on dementia


"Our ambition is to support wider society to make the change to enable people who have dementia to be able to confidently go about their daily lives safely and free from stigma."

The Prime Minister's challenge on dementia: delivering major improvements in dementia care and research by 2015: a report on progress
Department of Health
November 2012

Read more here.

Doctors and nurses


"To improve the quality of healthcare and get better value for money from the NHS workforce, employers need the motivation and freedom to be better leaders and employers."

Doctors and nurses
T Cawston, A Haldenby, N Seddon
Reform
November 2012

Read more here.

Thursday 8 November 2012

Will pay for performance improve quality of care?


"Beyond the obvious differences between the U.K. National Health Service and U.S. health care settings, some striking differences between the British and American versions of pay for performance might help explain the contrasting results."

Editorial: Will pay for performance improve quality of care? The answer is in the details
AM Epstein
New England Journal of Medicine, 2012, 367(19):1852-1853

Read more here.

Reduced mortality with hospital pay for performance in England


"The introduction of pay for performance in all NHS hospitals in one region of England was associated with a clinically significant reduction in mortality."

Reduced mortality with hospital pay for performance in England
M Sutton, S Nikolova, R Boaden, H Lester, R McDonald, M Roland
New England Journal of Medicine, 2012, 367(19):1821-1828

Read more here.

Wednesday 7 November 2012

Health Innovation Portal


The Health Council of Canada is reporting on innovative health care practices, policies, programs and services so they can be adopted elsewhere in Canada.

Access the Health Innovation Portal here.

Assessing the impact of economic evidence on policymakers in health care


"This is a systematic review of published studies to assess what is known about how economic evidence from cost-effectiveness analysis or cost-utility analysis makes an impact on health care decisionmaking in the United States and in other countries."

Assessing the impact of economic evidence on policymakers in health care: A systematic review
Johns Hopkins University Evidence-Based Practice Center
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
October 2012

Read more here.

What counts as good evidence?


"Research data only really become information when they have the power to change views, and they only really become evidence when they attract advocates for the messages they contain."

What counts as good evidence?
S Nutley, A Powell, H Davies
Research Unit for Research Utilisation
University of St Andrews
November 2012

Read more here.

Innovations in prevention


"There is a need for preventative investment to be more strategic, moving from a part of service delivery, to an explicit, deliberate and integral part of the policymaking and commissioning process, to identify where harm can be prevented and cost savings realised."

Innovations in prevention
R Puttick
NESTA
October 2012

Read more here.

Factors influencing the development of evidence-based practice among nurses: a self-report survey


"Skills in evidence-based practice seem to reduce barriers to using research evidence and to increase use of research evidence in clinical practice."

Factors influencing the development of evidence-based practice among nurses
A Dalheim, S Harthug, RM Nilsen, MW Nortvedt
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:367

Read more here.

Quality with compassion: the future of nursing education


"Graduate nurses have played and will continue to play a key role in driving up standards and preparing a nursing workforce fit for the future."

Quality with compassion: the future of nursing education: Report of the Willis Commission
Royal College of Nursing
November 2012

Read more here.

Hospital quality competition under fixed prices


"The literature shows that more competition increases quality when providers are profit maximisers and marginal cost of treatment is constant."

Hospital quality competition under fixed prices: CHE Research Paper 80
H Gravelle, R Santos, L Siciliani, R Goudie
University of York
November 2012

Read more here.


Integrated ambulance commissioning in the new NHS


"The purpose of this Briefing is to explain how ambulance commissioning currently works for clinical commissioners who may be new to this area."

Integrated ambulance commissioning in the new NHS
National Ambulance Commissioners Group
NHS Confederation
November 2012

Read more here.

Friday 2 November 2012

Competitive integration in the NHS

"Greater integration in healthcare will result in better outcomes for patients and a more seamless patient experience."

All together now: competitive integration in the NHS
H Featherstone, D Skelton, D Prior
Policy Exchange
October 2012

Read more here.

How can payment systems help to deliver better care?

"Based on a review of the English NHS experience of Payment by Results (PbR) and international experience of similar, activity-based payment systems, this report identifies five general lessons about payment systems, draws some conclusions about whether our current Payment by Results system is fit for purpose in view of current and future challenges and presents options for how reforms to PbR could be taken forward."

Payment by results: how can payment systems help to deliver better care?
J Appleby, T Harrison, L Hawkins, A Dixon
The King's Fund
October 2012

Read more here.

Wednesday 31 October 2012

PDQ-Evidence for Informed Health Policymaking

PDQ (“pretty darn quick”)-Evidence facilitates rapid access to the best available evidence for decisions about health systems. It includes systematic reviews, overviews of reviews (including evidence-based policy briefs), primary studies included in systematic reviews and structured summaries of that evidence. PDQ-Evidence was developed and is maintained by systematically searching PubMed and other databases for relevant systematic reviews and overviews of reviews.

The database is available here.

Interventions to improve the use of systematic reviews in decision-making by health system managers

"Systematic review evidence may be used in priority setting, policy, planning and purchasing health-care interventions, and clinical decision-making."

Interventions to improve the use of systematic reviews in decision-making by health system managers, policy makers and clinicians
Murthy L, Shepperd S, Clarke MJ, Garner SE, Lavis JN, Perrier L, Roberts NW, Straus SE
Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group
The Cochrane Library
September 2012

Read more here.

Outcomes matter: effective commissioning in domiciliary care

"This report sets out to investigate current practice in commissioning for outcomes in domiciliary care in England."

Outcomes matter: effective commissioning in domiciliary care
L Lucas, J Carr-West
October 2012

Read more here.

Driving improvement in A & E services

"Trusts have reduced reattendance rates by providing comprehensive information and followup advice when patients leave A & E."

Driving improvement in A & E services
Foundation Trust Network
October 2012

Read more here.

Hospital to home resource pack

This Hospital to Home Resource Pack contains essential information for all the professional sectors that have a role in hospital discharge for older people in England. It contains information, suggestions for action, case studies and checklists for considering older patients’ housing situations in hospital discharge and transfer of care and for improving integration of housing and support into the process for discharging older people.

Read more here.

Managing boundaries in primary care service improvement

"The strongest boundaries, however, lay between individual general practices, with inter-organisational knowledge sharing and collaboration between them remaining unequally developed across different areas due to historical factors, competition and strong organisational identification."

Managing boundaries in primary care service improvement: a developmental approach to communities of practice
R Kislov, K Walshe, G Harvey
Implementation Science, 2012, 7:97

Read more here.

Urgent care centres: what works best?

"This paper offers some key thinking points for clinical commissioners to consider as they develop their plans for integrated, 24/7 urgent and emergency care."

Urgent care centres: what works best?
Primary Care Foundation
October 2012

Read more here.

Thursday 25 October 2012

Access all ages: assessing the impact of age on access to surgical treatment

"Where there are allegations of rationing of interventions according to age, as opposed to clinical need and potential benefit, these should be investigated by the commissioners of that service and escalated to the NHS Commissioning Board where appropriate."

Access all ages: assessing the impact of age on access to surgical treatment
Royal College of Surgeons of England
October 2012

Read more here.

First steps to improving chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) care

"NHS Improvement has over a decade of experience in clinical patient pathway redesign in cancer, diagnostics, heart, lung and stroke and demonstrates some of the most leading edge improvement work in England which supports improved patient experience and outcomes."

First steps to improving chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) care
NHS Improvement - Lung
October 2012

Read more here.

Wednesday 24 October 2012

Commissioning person centred end of life care

"This toolkit identifies the main elements involved in commissioning for person centred end of life care. It explains the commissioning cycle in practical terms and offers a four-stage approach to successful commissioning across all sectors."

Commissioning person centred end of life care: a toolkit for health and social care professionals
National End of Life Care Programme
October 2012

Read more here.

Ten challenges in improving quality in healthcare

"The Health Foundation’s evaluation reports offer a rich resource of learning for those who undertake improvement work in healthcare."

Ten challenges in improving quality in healthcare: lessons from the Health Foundation's programme evaluations and relevant literatureM Dixon-Woods, S McNicol, G Martin
BMJ Quality and Safety, 2012, 21:876-884

Read more here.

Health for the EU in 33 success stories

"Containing 33 selected projects from different health areas, this booklet is intended to present some meaningful results achieved by the European Union’s health programmes."

Health for the EU in 33 success stories: a selection of successful projects funded by the EU Health Programmes
European Commission
September 2012

Read more here.

Standards of evidence for impact investing

"The Standards of Evidence recognise the need to ensure that demand for evidence is appropriate for different stages of product of service development, that it doesn't hamper innovation, and that it is realistic and proportionate."

Standards of evidence for impact investing
R Puttick, J Ludlow
NESTA
October 2012

Read more here.

Implementing evidence-based programmes in children's services

"This report brings together the latest international thinking about the key issues relating to the implementation of evidence-based programmes, utilising both published work and expert opinion."

Implementing evidence-based programmes in children's services: key issues for success
M Wiggins, H Austerberry, H Ward
Childhood Wellbeing Research Centre
Department for Education
October 2012

Read more here.

Writing implementation research grant proposals

"This article identifies ten of the important ingredients in well-crafted implementation proposals; in particular, it addresses how investigators can set the stage for proposed work through pilot data and a well-crafted and rationalized proposed study approach."

Writing implementation research grant proposals: ten key ingredients
EK Proctor, BJ Powell, AA Baumann, AM Hamilton, RL Santens
Implementation Science, 2012, 7:96

Read more here.

Use of NICE appraised medicines in the NHS in England

"As part of the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) agreement which came into operation on 1 January 2009, the Department of Health (DH) and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry agreed that the DH would review the variation in uptake of selected medicines in the NHS in England."

Use of NICE appraised medicines in the NHS in England – 2010 and 2011, experimental statistics
The Information Centre for Health and Social Care
October 2012

Access relevant documents here.

Wednesday 17 October 2012

Sessional GPs in commissioning

"This report has been written for Clinical Commissioning Groups, GPs and NHS organisations to help primary care meet its future challenges by harnessing the potential that exists within the GP workforce."

Sessional GPs in commissioning
A Howe, S Stone, P Newman, T Rippon
Royal College of General Practitioners
October 2012

Read more here.

Tuesday 16 October 2012

Towards excellence in hospice care

"This publication which draws together the learning of a highly successful programme funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing, overseen by Help the Hospices and evaluated by Cass Business School, with input from over 26 hospices across the UK who have risen to the challenge of opening their doors wider to individuals, groups and communities previously under-represented in their patient profile."

Towards excellence in hospice care
Help the Hospices
October 2012

Read more here.

Understanding patterns of health and social care at the end of life

"Individuals with the highest social care costs had relatively low average hospital costs - this was broadly the case irrespective of age, and suggests that use of social care may prevent the need for hospital care."

Understanding patterns of health and social care at the end of life
T Georghiou, S Davies, A Davies, M Bardsley
Nuffield Institute
October 2012

Read more here.

Joint personal budgets: a new solution to the problem of integrated care?

"This Briefing introduces joint personal budgets for health and social care. It gives the context behind their development, explains how they might work and lists some of the issues that need to be considered before they could be used at scale."

Joint personal budgets: a new solution to the problem of integrated care?
NHS Confederation
October 2012 Issue 251

Read more here.

Improving the health and wellbeing of people with learning disabilities

"Commissioning services for people with learning disabilities is a substantial test of working together in effective partnerships and, through this, securing better health and support for local people while safeguarding this most vulnerable group of our population."

Improving the health and wellbeing of people with learning disabilities: an evidence-based commissioning guide for Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs)
Improving Health and Lives: Learning Disabilities Observatory
October 2012

Read more here.

Saturday 13 October 2012

Service users play vital role in improvements


"Bradford District Care Trust emphasises its vision of The Productive Series as not yet another service improvement project that will run its course, but rather as a way of working which is firmly embedded within the culture."

Service users play vital role in improvements
The Productive Mental Health Ward
NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement
June 2012

Read more here.

Mental health and the market


"Understanding how the market in mental health works is critical – both for the development of future national policy, as well as for the implementation of existing policy relating to competition and choice."

Mental health and the market
NHS Confederation
October 2012

Read more here.

Monday 8 October 2012

Getting to grips with integrated 24/7 emergency and urgent care

"This report considers the challenges and opportunities facing urgent care commissioners as they strive to develop an integrated 24/7 service while also introducing NHS 111."

Getting to grips with integrated 24/7 emergency and urgent care
NHS Alliance
October 2012

Read more here.

Forgotten conditions: misdiagnosed and unsupported, how patients are being let down

"Rarer conditions are too often neglected by the health service, leading to reduced quality of life for affected individuals and increased costs for the NHS, the benefits system, employers and patients."

Forgotten conditions: misdiagnosed and unsupported, how patients are being let down
M Weston, J Manning
2020Health.org
September 2012

Read more here.

Efficiency and health care in Europe

The latest issue of Eurohealth Observer focuses on the possibilities and challenges of obtaining a workable model of efficiency in health care.

Efficiency and health care
Eurohealth, incorporating Euro Observer
2012, volume 18, number 3

Read more here.

Wednesday 3 October 2012

Cost-effectiveness of compression technologies for evidence-informed care

"We evaluated an evidence-informed leg ulcer care protocol with two frequently used high compression systems: 'four-layer bandage' (4LB) and 'short-stretch bandage' (SSB)."

Cost-effectiveness of compression technologies for evidence-informed care: results from the Canadian Bandaging Trial
B Pham, HB Margaret, MH Chen, ME Carley
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:346

Read more here.

Tuesday 2 October 2012

Reviewing end of life care costing information to inform the QIPP End of Life Care Workstream

"There are potential savings that could be released by shifting care from the acute to the community setting if such is the patient’s wish and if the commensurate disinvestment in acute care systems can be achieved."

Reviewing end of life care costing information to inform the QIPP End of Life Care Workstream
National End of Life Care Programme
September 2012

Read more here.

Evaluating disease management programmes: learning from diverse approaches across Europe

"The project reviewed the policy context for, and approaches to, chronic disease management in 13 European countries, using a structured data collection instrument that organised chronic disease management around four components: active patient involvement, service design, decision support and clinical information systems."

Evaluating disease management programmes: learning from diverse approaches across Europe
E Nolte, et al.
RAND Europe
October 2012

Read more here.

Monday 1 October 2012

Personal health records: putting patients in control?


"Those with complex, chronic conditions, often with more than one long term condition, are most likely to find a personal health record useful and have the most to gain in the first instance."

Personal health records: putting patients in control?
J Cruickshank, C Packman, J Paxman
2020health.org
September 2012

Read more here.

Identifying "value opportunities" in local commissioning


"West Cheshire PCT and CCGs have used Right Care principles to identify “where to look” for service improvements that can generate savings for re-investment and service quality and outcomes improvements."

Identifying "value opportunities" in local commissioning
M Cripps
Right Care Casebook
September 2012

Read more here.


Peer support in long term conditions


"The research found evidence of peer support activity for people with long term conditions across Scotland with positive impact on emotional and physical health, but that access to such services was patchy."

Peer support in long term conditions
Mental Health Foundation
September 2012

Read more here.

Epilepsy12


"The key aims of Epilepsy12 are:

  • To facilitate health providers and commissioners to measure and improve quality of care for children and young people with seizures and epilepsies; and
  • To contribute to the continuing improvement of outcomes for those children, young people and their families."

Epilepsy12
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
September 2012

Read more here.

A clinical commissioner's guide to the voluntary sector


"This guide sets out a vision for the voluntary sector’s role in tackling some of the major challenges commissioners will face."

A clinical commissioner's guide to the voluntary sector
M Girach, H Hardisty, A Massey
NHS Alliance
September 2012

Read more here.

NICE Pathways: guidance at your fingertips


"NICE Pathways is an online tool provides quick and easy access, topic by topic, to the range of guidance from NICE, including quality standards, technology appraisals, clinical and public health guidance and NICE implementation tools."

Access the pathways here.

Takeover: tackling failing NHS hospitals


"Looking at case studies and published research, the authors examine the body of evidence about why past mergers have not worked and identify the key determinants of success."

Takeover: tackling failing NHS hospitals
P Corrigan, J Higton, S Morioka
Reform
September 2012

Read more here.

Primary care for the 21st century


"Although independent practitioner associations in New Zealand have not held budgets on the scale of that planned for clinical commissioning groups in England, they nevertheless demonstrate the significant potential of organised general practice to enable innovation and expansion in the local provision of care."

Primary care for the 21st century
R Thorlby, J Smith, P Barnett, N Mays
Nuffield Trust
September 2012

Read more here.

Atlas of variation in healthcare for people with respiratory disease


"The Respiratory Disease Atlas, together with the 2011 Outcomes Strategy for COPD and Asthma and the NHS Companion Document to the Strategy, can be used by healthcare professionals to increase the value of care they offer to people with respiratory disease."

Atlas of variation in healthcare for people with respiratory disease
NHS Right Care
September 2012

Access the Atlas here.

National audit of intermediate care


"The audit highlights wide variation in service models being used nationally with differences evident in the extent of multiagency integration, the scale of services provided, and how intermediate care sits within the full range of health and community services, in each local health economy."

National audit of intermediate care report
NHS Benchmarking Network
September 2012

Read more here.

Thursday 20 September 2012

Dealing with financially unsustainable providers

"This paper explains why a failure regime is required in the NHS, outlines how the failure regime for NHS trusts (currently being applied in South London) works and how the failure regime for foundation trusts introduced by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 will work in future."

Dealing with financially unsustainable providers: how will the failure regime work?
T Harrison, A Dixon
The King's Fund
September 2012

Read more here.

The health and care system from April 2013

The Department of Health has created a diagram which shows all the organisations that will deliver health and social care in England from April 2013. View the diagram here.

"If we build it, will it stay?" A case study of the sustainability of whole-system change in London

"This article describes a transferable methodology that was developed to guide the evaluation of a three-year follow-up of a large health care change program in London, which took place during a period of economic turbulence and rapid policy change."

"If we build it, will it stay?" A case study of the sustainability of whole-system change in London
T Greenhalgh, F Macfarlane, C Barton-Sweeney, F Woodard
The Milbank Quarterly, 2012, 90(3): 516-547

Read more here.

Procurement of healthcare (clinical) services: briefings for CCGs

The NHS Commissioning Board Authority has developed a series of procurement briefings for CCGs that summarise the key elements of legislation and guidance currently governing NHS procurement of healthcare services. Click here to access the briefing papers.

Large-system transformation in health care: a realist review

"The aims of the review were to analyze examples of successful and less successful transformation initiatives, to synthesize knowledge of the underlying mechanisms, to clarify the role of government, and to outline options for evaluation."

Large-system transformation in health care: a realist review
A Best, T Greenhalgh, S Lewis, JE Saul, S Carroll, J Bitz
The Milbank Quarterly, 2012, 90(3): 421-456

Read more here.

Evaluating the role and perceived impact of the Regional Paediatric Diabetes Network Coordinator in Yorkshire and the Humber

"The report describes how the network coordinator post has helped the Yorkshire and the Humber Paediatric Diabetes Network deliver its objectives by providing effective and efficient administrative and communication support, and by facilitating discussions between the network and key internal and external stakeholders."

Evaluating the role and perceived impact of the Regional Paediatric Diabetes Network Coordinator in Yorkshire and the Humber
L Richards
NHS Diabetes
August 2012

Read more here.

Patient-level costing: can it yield efficiency savings?

"Specifically, the study examines how trusts are using and planning to use patient-level costing systems, drawing on the experiences of several early adopters."

Patient-level costing: can it yield efficiency savings?
I Blunt, M Bardsley
Nuffield Trust
September 2012

Read more here.

The accountable lead provider

"The Accountable Lead Provider is not a commissioner, it is a provider, an integrator and programme manager, a provider that both provides and subcontracts healthcare."

The accountable lead provider
P Corrigan, S Laitner
NHS Right Care
July 2012

Read more here.

Monday 17 September 2012

Barriers to the uptake of evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses

"This study can inform future approaches to enhancing systematic review uptake and also suggests potential avenues for future investigation."

Barriers to the uptake of evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses: a systematic review of decision makers' perceptions
J Wallace, B Nwosu, M Clarke
BMJ Open 2012, 2:e001220

Read more here.

Advanced clinical decision support using lessons from outside of healthcare

"Greater use of computerized decision support (DS) systems could address continuing safety and quality problems in healthcare, but the healthcare field has struggled to implement DS technology."

Advanced clinical decision support using lessons from outside of healthcare: an interdisciplinary systematic review
HW Wu, PK Davis, DS Bell
BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 2012, 12:90

Read more here.

Factors influencing the implementation of fall prevention programmes

"The issues identified through this synthesis need to be fully considered and addressed if fall-prevention programmes are to be successfully implemented into clinical practice."

Factors influencing the implementation of fall prevention programmes: a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative studies
S Child, V Goodwin, R Garside, T Jones-Hughes, K Boddy, K Stein
Implementation Science, 2012, 7:91

Read more here.

A systematic review of hand hygiene improvement strategies

"Addressing only determinants such as knowledge, awareness, action control, and facilitation is not enough to change hand hygiene behaviour."

A systematic review of hand hygiene improvement strategies: a behavioural approach
A Huis, T van Achterberg, M de Bruin, R Grol, L Schoonhoven, M Hulscher
Implementation Science, 2012, 7:92

Read more here.

Thursday 13 September 2012

Designing and commissioning services for adults with asthma


"This good practice guide outlines the case for improving outcomes for people with asthma and what the elements of a good service look like."

Designing and commissioning services for adults with asthma: a good practice guide
Primary Care Commissioning
September 2012

Read more here.

Wednesday 12 September 2012

Improving the quality of orthopaedic care with the National Health Service


"By appropriate referral, getting it right first time, using evidence based treatments, gold standard prostheses, reducing complications, and different modes of working, quality of care for patients can be significantly improved, leading to greater patient satisfaction and outcomes."

Getting it right first time: improving the quality of orthopaedic care with the NHS
TWR Briggs
Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital
August 2012

Read more here.

Tuesday 11 September 2012

The Engagement Cycle

This resource is for commissioners of health services, it sets out what is required when engaging patients, carers and the public in the decisions made about health service provision. It provides practical advice, case-study examples and links to other vital information.

Access The Engagement Cycle here.

RCN fact sheets

The Royal College of Nursing has produced two fact sheets help people understand the architecture of the new NHS commissioning system:
  1. Clinical senates and strategic clinical networks
  2. Health and wellbeing boards

Friday 7 September 2012

Patients first: improving access to GP practices

"The purpose of this report is to expand on a previous report, Patient Power, using research from GP practices in urban and rural settings in Scotland to illustrate that the way GP practices operate can vary considerably from whether they operate open surgeries to extended hours, have the ability to process repeat prescriptions online to whether they even have a website."

Patients first: improving access to GP practicesB Thomson, G Mawdsley, A Payne
Reform Scotland
August 2012

Read more here.

Specialist Services: A Guide for Commissioners

"Voice4ChangeEngland with NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action) have come together to provide the following information in order to show that specialist provision is an essential means of delivering both more equitable and more efficient public services."

Specialist Services: A Guide for Commissioners
Voice4ChangeEngland and NAVCA
August 2012

Read more here.

Decision aids helped to lower hip and knee surgery rates and costs

"In a large observational study, patients who received balanced information on the risks and benefits of orthopedic procedures had 26 percent fewer hip replacement surgeries, 38 percent fewer knee replacement surgeries, and 12 percent to 21 percent lower costs over a six-month period."

Introducing decision aids at Group Health was linked to sharply lower hip and knee surgery rates and costsThe Commonwealth Fund
September 2012

Read more here.

Design and application of shared savings programs

"Enabling health care providers to share in the savings they generate from the delivery of more efficient, higher-quality care is a promising way to achieve the goals of health reform."

The design and application of shared savings programs: lessons from early adoptersThe Commonwealth Fund
September 2012
 
Read more here.

Choice and competition in public services: learning from history

"This report identifies 11 general rules that current reformers should be aware of when introducing market mechanisms."

Choice and competition in public services: learning from historyT Gash, T Roos
Institute for Government
August 2012

Read more here.

Transforming the delivery of health and social care

"This paper (the first in a series on the future of health and social care in England) explores how the current health and social care delivery system has failed to keep pace with the population's needs and expectations."

Transforming the delivery of health and social care: the case for fundamental change
C Ham, A Dixon, B Brooke
The King's Fund
September 2012

Read more here.

Sunday 2 September 2012

Improving data use in decision making


"The overall aim of the paper is to articulate specific interventions that can improve the demand for and use of data in decision making so that improvements in the other health building blocks can be realized."

Improving data use in decision making: an intervention to strengthen health systems
T Nutley
August 2012

Read more here.

Interim measures for patient experience at the interfaces between NHS services


"The NHS Future Forum report on Integration recommended that new patient experience measures should be developed to evaluate patients’ experiences across whole journeys of care."

Interim measures for patient experience at the interfaces between NHS services
Department of Health
August 2012

Read more here.

Systematic review of knowledge translation strategies in the allied health professions


"The present study is the first systematic review of the effectiveness of a variety of knowledge translation interventions in five allied health disciplines: dietetics, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physiotherapy, and speech-language pathology."

Systematic review of knowledge translation strategies in the allied health professions
SD Scott, et al.
Implementation Science, 2012, 7:70

Read more here.

Friday 31 August 2012

Commissioning for value

NHS QIPP RightCare has produced this reading list "Commissioning for value", which highlights 37 papers relevant to cost and quality, which the RightCare Team have assessed as being worthwhile reading for commissioners.

The full reading list can be accessed here.

A guide to commissioning for equality

"Good commissioning: improves health; reduces health inequalities; ensures high-quality service provision; and protects patients' dignity - all especially important given the current reforms proposed to the UK health service."

A guide to commissioning for equality
Royal College of Nursing
August 2012

Read more here.

Health care quality for an active later life

"This report brings together recent scientific data from diverse sources to shed light on two broad questions:
  1. As a country, how successful has England and the UK been in preventing later life disease and disability?
  2. How well are we delivering high quality medical treatments for the common disabling diseases of later life?"
 
Health care quality for an active later life
D Melzer, B Tavakoly, R Winder, S Richards, C Gericke, I Lang
Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry
May 2012
 
Read more here.

Wednesday 29 August 2012

How to improve

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement uses the Model for Improvement, developed by Associates in Process Improvement, as the framework to guide improvement work.

Read more here.

Consumer quality index (CQ-index) in an accident and emergency department

"The Consumer Quality index for the accident and emergency department measures patients' experiences of A&E healthcare performance."

The consumer quality index (CQ-index) in an accident and emergency department: development and first evaluation
N Bos, LM Sturms, AJP Schrijvers, HF van Stel
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:284

Read more here.

QIPP Digital Technology

NHS Connecting for Health QIPP Digital Technology has developed an interactive map and register of technology innovations for the NHS. Access the map here.

Colorectal cancer quality standard

This quality standard, published by NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence), covers the diagnosis and management of adults with newly diagnosed and recurring adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum.

Access the quality standard here.

Reducing the cost of assessments and reviews

"Councils that spend more on assessments and reviews can make savings without sacrificing service quality, or putting vulnerable people at higher risk."

Reducing the cost of assessments and reviews: an adult social care briefing for councils
Audit Commission
August 2012

Read more here.

Tuesday 28 August 2012

Use of hand hygiene interventions improves with psychological theory

"This qualitative study demonstrated the value in using psychological theories commonly used in knowledge translation to explore barriers and facilitators to current hand hygiene (HH) practices and when implementing an intervention to improve HH practice."

Using psychological theory to inform methods to optimize the implementation of a hand hygiene intervention
VM Boscart, GR Fernie, JH Lee, SB Jaglal
Implementation Science, 2012, 7:77

Read more here.

Monday 27 August 2012

Evidence-informed change management in Canadian Healthcare Organizations


"Future interventions to improve quality of care will be most effective when they use a collaborative approach, involve multidisciplinary teams, utilise available resources, involve physicians and recognise the unique requirements of each patient group."

Evidence-informed change management in Canadian Healthcare Organizations
G Dickson, R Lindstrom, C Black, D van der Gucht
Canadian Health Services Research Foundation
June 2012

Read more here.

A 10 year (2000-2010) systematic review of interventions to improve quality of care in hospitals


"Future interventions to improve quality of care will be most effective when they use a collaborative approach, involve multidisciplinary teams, utilise available resources, involve physicians and recognise the unique requirements of each patient group."

A 10 year (2000-2010) systematic review of interventions to improve quality of care in hospitals
MC Conry, N Humphries, K Morgan, Y McGowan, A Montgomery, K Vedhara, E Panagopoulou, H McGee
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:275

Read more here.

Friday 24 August 2012

Determinants of patient choice of healthcare providers

"Comparative information seems to have a relatively limited influence on the choices made by many patients and patients base their decisions on a variety of provider characteristics instead of solely on outcome characteristics."

Determinants of patient choice of healthcare providers: a scoping review
A Victoor, DMJ Delnoij, RD Friele, JJDJM Rademakers
BMC Health Services Research 2012, 12:272

Read more here.

Using patients' experiences to identify priorities for quality improvement in breast cancer care

"This paper explores the relative value of surveys and detailed patient narratives in identifying priorities for improving breast cancer services as part of a quality improvement process."

Using patients' experiences to identify priorities for quality improvement in breast cancer care
V Tsianakas, J Maben, T Wiseman, G Robert, A Richardson, P Madden, M Griffin, E Davies
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:271

Read more here.

Reforming payment for health care in Europe to achieve better value

"This report examines trends in payment reform in selected European countries to help policy-makers, providers and payers understand developments and prepare for the future."

Reforming payment for health care in Europe to achieve better value
A Charlesworth, A Davies, J Dixon
The Nuffield Trust
August 2012

Read more here.

Clustering of unhealthy behaviours over time: implications for policy and practice

"This paper reviews the current evidence on multiple lifestyle risks and analyses data from the Health Survey for England on the distribution of these risks in the adult population and how this is changing over time."

Clustering of unhealthy behaviours over time: implications for policy and practice
D Buck, F Frosini
The King's Fund
August 2012

Read more here, with supporting methodology and data appendices available here.

Monday 20 August 2012

Quality improvement programme, focusing on error reduction

"When monitored as part of a quality improvement strategy, ‘missed’ and ‘uncharted’ drug dose information may reflect wider institutional changes and act as a valid indicator of quality of healthcare more generally."

Quality improvement programme, focusing on error reduction: a single center naturalistic study
D Rosser, NJ Cowley, D Ray, PG Nightingale, T Jones, J Moore, JJ Coleman
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Short Reports, 2012, 3(6):36-42

Read more here.

Sunday 19 August 2012

Nurse staffing, burnout, and health care-associated infection


"Reducing burnout in registered nurses is a promising strategy to help control
infections in acute care facilities."

Nurse staffing, burnout, and health care-associated infection
JP Cimiotti, LH Aiken, DM Sloane, ES Wu
American Journal of Infection Control, 2012, 40:486-490

Read more here.

Current use, future trends and opportunities in public sector social media


"This Report is designed to help those public sector organisations in preparing for their social media journey, to act as an introductory guide to the leading tools in the marketplace, and importantly to provide some insight from those existing social media practitioners that have been addressing the challenge in recent years."

Current use, future trends and opportunities in public sector social media
Cogitamus
NHS Confederation
August 2012

Read more here.

Friday 17 August 2012

Delivering health improvement through the workplace


"The toolkit aims to support public health practitioners and other partners focus on health and work, from employer partnerships to the voluntary sector."

Delivering health improvement through the workplace: supporting local action in London
L Croft, P Murage
August 2012

Read more here.

Digital technology essentials guide


"This guide provides a brief summary of a wide range of enabling digital technologies most of which are quick wins and should be considered by all organisations."

Digital technology essentials guide
QIPP Digital Technology
June 2012

Read more here.

High impact innovations


"On this website, you will find a wide range of material to help you in the spread and adoption of the High Impact Innovations identified in Innovation Health and Wealth, Accelerating Adoption and Diffusion in the NHS, along with online communities to allow sharing of real life examples and stories."

High impact innovations
NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement
August 2012

Read more here.

Looking for value in hard times


"This report describes how NHS Sheffield used a new approach, called Star (‘socio-technical allocation of resources’), to re-allocate resources within its eating disorder services."

Looking for value in hard times
The Health Foundation
August 2012

Read more here.

Health Services Research Live


The NHS Confederation has created this place where everyone interested in innovation, evidence, and improvement for health services can connect. Click here to access the resource.

Sunday 12 August 2012

Older people and emergency bed use


"There is significant variation in the use of hospital beds by people over 65 admitted as an emergency."

Older people and emergency bed use: exploring variation
C Imison, E Poteliakhoff, J Thompson
The King's Fund
August 2012

Read more here.

Accountable care strategies: lessons from the Premier Health Care


"This report shares the perspectives of hospitals and health systems taking part in the Premier health care alliance’s accountable care implementation collaborative."

Accountable care strategies: lessons from the Premier Health Care Alliance's accountable care collaborative
AJ Forster, BG Childs, JF Damore, SD DeVore, EA Kroch, DA Lloyd
The Commonwealth Fund
August 2012

Read more here.

Including safety-net providers in integrated delivery systems


"This issue brief explores key considerations for incorporating safety-net providers into integrated delivery systems and discusses the roles of state and federal agencies in supporting and testing models of integrated care delivery."

Including safety-net providers in integrated delivery systems: issues and options for policymakers
K Witgert, C Hess
National Academy for State Health Policy
The Commonwealth Fund
August 2012

Read more here.

Report from a simulation event which tested how CCGs might utilise CSSs


This report explores the relationships between Clinical Commissioning Groups and Commissioning Support services.

Steering or rowing? Report from a simulation event which tested how CCGs might utilise CSSs
NHS Commissioning Board
July 2012

Read more here.

Improving interactions with patients in a dialysis facility


"This report describes the efforts of one dialysis center to improve customer service and access for its patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD)."

Improving interactions with patients in a dialysis facility: a case study of a successful quality improvement intervention
DO Farley, SH Wiseman, DD Quigley
RAND Health
August 2012

Read more here.

Wednesday 8 August 2012

How to measure for improving outcomes


The King's Fund has produced two slide sets to help Clinical Commissioning Groups make the best use of measurement to support them to commission for improved outcomes.

How to measure for improving outcomes: a guide for commissioners
The King's Fund
August 2012

Read more here.

Review of patient-reported outcome measures in chronic hepatitis C


"Further research is needed to ensure that chronic hepatitis C clinical trials evaluate concepts that are important to patients and include measures that have evidence supporting content validity, reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness."

Review of patient-reported outcome measures in chronic hepatitis C
L Kleinman, S Mannix, Y Yuan, S Kummer, G L'Italien, D Revicki
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 2012, 10:92

Read more here.

Participation in decision-making of persons with dementia


"Persons with moderate dementia demonstrated variability in how they participated in decision making."

How do persons with dementia participate in decision making related to health and daily care? A multi-case study
KL Smebye, M Kirkevold, K Engedal
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:241

Read more here.


The growing role of Emergency Departments in hospital admissions


"Growing use of U.S. emergency departments (EDs), cited as a key contributor to rising health care costs, has become a leading target of health care reform."

The growing role of Emergency Departments in hospital admissions
JD Schuur, AK Venkatesh
New England Journal of Medicine, 2012, 367(5):391-393

Read more here.

Teaching physicians to think about costs


"Protecting our patients from financial ruin is fundamental to doing no harm."

Cents and sensitivity - teaching physicians to think about costs
L Rosenbaum, D Lamas
New England Journal of Medicine, 2012, 367(2):391-393

Read more here.

Cost-effectiveness of environmental approaches to disease prevention


"The scientific literature now points to the value of implementing preventive environmental interventions that are cost-saving and conducting additional cost-effectiveness studies of such interventions."

Cost-effectiveness of environmental approaches to disease prevention
DA Chokshi, TA Farley
New England Journal of Medicine, 2012, 367(2):295-297

Read more here.

Value-based purchasing


"The United States needs a health system that achieves better health and better care at lower costs, and Value-Based Purchasing is a potentially important tool for achieving those goals."

Value-based purchasing - national programs to move from volume to value
JM VanLare, PH Conway
New England Journal of Medicine, 2012, 367(4):292-294

Read more here.

Tuesday 7 August 2012

Cross sector working to support large-scale change


"This evidence scan provides empirical examples of cross sector working to improve care."

Cross sector working to support large-scale change
The Health Foundation
August 2012

Read more here.

Chronic kidney disease in England: the human and financial cost

"The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and associated complications and comorbidities on quality of life, mortality and NHS costs in England."

Chronic kidney disease in England: the human and financial cost
M Kerr
NHS Kidney Care

Read more here.

Applying the health and social care reforms to improve outcomes for people with neurological conditions


"This report is intended to illustrate how the levers of the new NHS can be applied to improving outcomes for this group of patients, addressing the legacy of neglect which has resulted in unacceptable variations in outcomes and higher than necessary costs."

Intelligent outcomes: applying the health and social care reforms to improve outcomes for people with neurological conditions
The Neurological Alliance
August 2012

Read more here.

Saturday 4 August 2012

Sustainability of healthcare improvement: what can we learn from learning theory?


"Clinicians and leaders shared information about their everyday work and related this knowledge to how the entire clinical pathway could be improved."

Sustainability of healthcare improvement: what can we learn from learning theory?
E Hovlid, O Bukve, K Haug, A Bjarne Aslaksen, C von Plessen
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:235

Read more here.

Decision boxes for clinicians to support evidence-based practice and shared decision making


"Decision Boxes aim to prepare the clinician to communicate the risks and benefits of the available options to the patient so they can make an informed decision together."

Decision boxes for clinicians to support evidence-based practice and shared decision making: the user experience
A Giguere, et al.
Implementation Science, 2012, 7:72

Read more here.

Innovation and improvement in maternity services


"This guide, which has been produced in association with the Involvement and Participation Association (IPA), therefore provides some timely examples of ways in which maternity services are innovating and making improvements to the care that women and families receive, and at the same time doing so within budget or even generating efficiency savings."

Innovation and improvement in maternity services
The Royal College of Midwives
July 2012

Read more here.

Friday 3 August 2012

Measuring well-being: a guide for practitioners


This short handbook on measuring well-being is produced by the Centre for Well-Being at the New Economics Foundation. It is designed primarily for voluntary organisations and community groups, providing tools for thinking about well-being and measuring it.

Measuring well-being: a guide for practitioners
J Michaelson, S Mahony
New Economics Foundation
July 2012

Read more here.

The NICE Commissioning Outcomes Framework Indicator Programme


The Commissioning Outcomes Framework (COF) Advisory Committee have recommended a set of 44 indicators, which have been identified from NICE quality standards, the NHS Outcomes Framework and other existing indicator collections such as national audits. A selection of final indicators will be considered by the NHS Commissioning Board in autumn 2012 for inclusion in the 2013/14 COF.

Read more here.

COPD commissioning toolkit: a resource for commissioners


"The COPD Commissioning Toolkit aims to make it easier to commission better services for people with COPD by bringing together the clinical, financial and commercial aspects of commissioning in one place."

COPD commissioning toolkit: a resource for commissioners
NHS Medical Directorate
August 2012

Read more here.

Wednesday 1 August 2012

Provider-level risk-adjusted quality measurement for inpatient rehabilitation facilities


"This report should be of interest to researchers involved either in inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF) or the development of IRF quality reports or in outcomes studies that require risk adjustment."

Provider-level risk-adjusted quality measurement for inpatient rehabilitation facilities
AW Dick, PJ Huckfeldt, H Liu, H Yu, A Mehrotra, SL Lovejoy, JS Ashwood
RAND Corporation
2012

Read more here.

Guides to monitoring quality during transition


Three guides have been published by the National Quality Board, to assist NHS organisations respond to quality risks and failures during this transition year:

  1. How to: organise and run a rapid responsive review
  2. How to: quality impact assess provider cost improvement plans 
  3. How to: organise and run a risk summit

Structure of Public Health England


"Public Health England has been established to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing, and to reduce inequalities."

Structure of Public Health England: factsheet
Department of Health
July 2012

Read more here.

Ensuring education reform enhances patient outcome


"The creation of Health Education England (HEE) and Local Education and Training Boards (LETBs) provides the opportunity for employers to ensure that the £5 billion annual national investment in education and training delivers the maximum benefits for patients."

Ensuring education reform enhances patient outcome: providers' planning and driving a workforce budget of £5bn
NHS Employers
June 2012

Read more here.

Factors associated with patient experiences of coronary heart disease


Primary care for chronic illness varies across European healthcare systems.

Identifying factors associated with experiences of coronary heart disease patients receiving structured chronic care and counselling in European primary care
S Ludt, J van Lieshout, SM Campbell, J Rochon, D Ose, T Freund, M Wensing, J Szecsenyi
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:221

Read more here.

General practice, diagnostic investigations and hospital services before and after cancer diagnosis


"Cancer patients' heightened demand for GP services one year after their diagnosis highlights the importance of close coordination and communication between the primary and the secondary healthcare sector."

Use of general practice, diagnostic investigations and hospital services before and after cancer diagnosis - a population-based nationwide registry study of 127,000 incident adult cancer patients
KG Christensen, M Fenger-Gron, KR Flarup, P Vedsted
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:224

Read more here.

Friday 27 July 2012

How to assure quality in the NHS


"In this paper, the authors set out their views on how the system of quality assurance, including regulation, needs to evolve, the principles on which it should be built and how it should operate."

Preparing for the Francis report: how to assure quality in the NHS
A Dixon, C Foot, T Harrison
The King's Fund
July 2012

Read more here.

Standards for patient-centered outcomes research


"Better methods will produce trusted information and lead to better healthcare decisions, and ultimately to better health."

Our questions, our decisions: standards for patient-centered outcomes research
M Helfland, A Berg, D Flum, S Gabriel, SL Normand
Patient-Centred Outcomes Research Institute
July 2012

Read more here.

Cost-effectiveness of environmental approaches to disease prevention


"Environmental prevention is key to addressing the growing disease burden and cost of chronic illnesses."

The cost-effectiveness of environmental approaches to disease prevention
DA Chokshi, TA Farley
New England Journal of Medicine, 2012, 367:295-297

Read more here.

Commissioning fact sheet for clinical commissioning groups


"This fact sheet sets out the services to be commissioned by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) from April 2013."

Commissioning fact sheet for clinical commissioning groups
NHS Commissioning Board
July 2012

Read more here.

The way forward: strategic clinical networks


"Combining the experience of clinicians, the input of patients and the organisational vision of NHS staff clinical networks have supported and improved the way we deliver care to patients in distinct areas, delivering true integration across primary, secondary and often tertiary care."

The way forward: strategic clinical networks
NHS Commissioning Board
July 2012

Read more here.

Effect of clinical decision-support systems


"Both commercially and locally developed CDSSs are effective at improving health care process measures across diverse settings, but evidence for clinical, economic, workload, and efficiency outcomes remains sparse."

Effect of clinical decision-support systems
TJ Bright, et al.
Annals of Internal Medicine, 2012, 157(1):30-50

Read more here.