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.

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.

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.

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.

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.