Friday 29 March 2013

Lessons for the new NHS from departing health leaders

"Time. Time and transparency, and clinical engagement. These are the three issues that come roaring out of these interviews with ‘the dear departed’ – a clutch of recent NHS chief executives and other health leaders who were asked what advice they would deliver to their successors as the new NHS structures go live in April 2013."

Changing of the guard: lessons for the new NHS from departing health leaders
Edited by Nicholas Timmins
Nuffield Trust
Issue 3 - March 2013

Read more here.

Managing multi-morbidity in practice

"Learning from those sites who responded to the survey suggests there is a need for multimorbid disease management templates and care pathways, and that integrated working with community teams, including pharmacists, can improve outcomes, with the potential to reduce overall consultation times, increase patient satisfaction, reduce polypharmacy and reduce hospital admissions."

Managing multi-morbidity in practice…what lessons can be learnt from the care of people with COPD and co-morbidities?NHS Improvement
March 2013

Read more here.

The puzzle of changing relationships

"We hope that both the framework and the evidence in this report will, with further research and development, be valuable in informing: 
  • better policy
  • better service commissioning and planning
  • a professional identity built around relationships as well as around tasks
  • a research agenda that focuses far more attention on providing the evidence of how changing roles and relationships can raise quality."
The puzzle of changing relationships
JS Pedersen, L Brereton, J Newbould, E Nolte
The Health Foundation
March 2013

Read more here.

Improving value at hospitals through process management

"Using five case studies, the report demonstrates how process management techniques, which have been used successfully in other sectors, can improve health care outcomes and reduce costs in Canada."

Improving value at hospitals through process management
V Thomson, J Thomson
The Conference Board of Canada
March 2013

Read more here (free registration required).

Tools for continuous quality improvement

This set of tools has been provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and encourage feedback on whether they are helpful for research.

Access the tools here  (free registration is required).

Determinants of improvements in healthcare professional practice

"Based on a systematic review and a consensus process we developed a checklist that aims to be comprehensive and to build on the strengths of each of the 12 included checklists. The checklist is accompanied with five worksheets to facilitate its use in implementation research and quality improvement projects."

A checklist for identifying determinants of practice: A systematic review and synthesis of frameworks and taxonomies of factors that prevent or enable improvements in healthcare professional practice
SA Flottorp, et al.
Implementation Science, 2013, 8:35

Read more here.

Commissioning sexual health services and interventions

"Sexual health is an important and wide-ranging area of public health. Most of the adult population of England are sexually active, and having the correct sexual health interventions and services can have a positive effect on population health and wellbeing as well as individuals at risk."

Commissioning sexual health services and interventions: best practice guidance for local authorities
Department of Health
March 2013

Read more here.

Safety culture: What is it and how do we monitor and measure it?

"Safety culture tools provide an opportunity for staff to reflect on the things that are working well, that should be renewed or strengthened, as well as identifying areas for action."

Safety culture: What is it and how do we monitor and measure it?
The Health Foundation
March 2013

Read more here.

Wednesday 27 March 2013

Rating providers for quality


"Our analysis suggests that there is a clear gap in the provision of clearly presented, comprehensive and trusted information on the quality of care of providers which might properly inform the public and users about the quality of care, as well as improve the accountability of providers to the public."

Rating providers for quality: a policy worth pursuing?
Nuffield Trust
March 2013

Read the full report here or the summary here.

Adoption of digital health between the US VHA and England’s NHS


"This second report builds on "Telehealth: what can the NHS learn from experience at the US Veterans Health Administration" reflecting on the impressive use of technology currently provided by the VHA, and drawing on the innovative progress that has been made in the NHS through their experience of telehealth."

Making connections A transatlantic exchange to support the adoption of digital health between the US VHA and England’s NHS
J Cruickshank, J Harding, J Paxman, C Morris
2020health
March 2013

Read the full report here.

Making the case for cardiac rehabilitation


"The primary purpose of the study was to examine the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) potential of CR and to establish whether the benefits of CR outweigh the costs in terms of the potential impact on readmissions alone."

Making the case for cardiac rehabilitation: modelling potential impact on readmissions
M Kaiser, M Varvel, P Doherty
NHS Improvement
March 2013

Read more here.

Safeguarding vulnerable people in the reformed NHS


"Organisations need to promote a culture where staff feel able to raise concerns and whistleblow without fear and that there is an understanding of the need for staff support to achieve effective outcomes for vulnerable people."

Safeguarding vulnerable people in the reformed NHS: accountability and assurance framework
NHS Commissioning Board
March 2013

Read more here.

Read a summary of this paper here.

Distractions and their impact on patient safety


"These risk reduction strategies include developing systems and processes that reduce or eliminate distractions and teaching effective techniques for handling distractions."

Distractions and their impact on patient safety
M Feil
Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, 2013, 10(1):1-10

Read more here.

Making Health Care Safer II


"The 2013 report analyzed a growing body of patient safety research to determine the level of evidence regarding the outcomes, as well as implementation, adoption, and the context in which safety strategies have been used."

Making Health Care Safer II: an updated critical analysis of the evidence for patient safety practices
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Report No. 211
March 2013

Read the full report here.

It is an update of a previous 2001 report, "Making Health Care Safer: a critical analysis of patient safety practices" (AHRQ Evidence Report No. 43), available here.

Putting QIPP and Francis at the heart of commissioning support


"Participants also explored how commissioners and CSS providers could be equipped with the skills and expertise required to deliver such change – as well as the transactional, commissioning-focused activity."

Putting QIPP and Francis at the heart of commissioning support
Commissioning Excellence
Primary Care Commissioning
March 2013

Read more here.

Best practice for commissioning diabetes services


"Providing better integrated diabetes care has been shown to improve patient experience, quality of clinical care and reduce hospital admissions for vulnerable patients."

Best practice for commissioning diabetes services: an integrated care framework
NHS Diabetes
March 2013

Read more here.

NHS Atlas of Variation in Healthcare for People with Liver Disease


"The NHS Atlas of Variation in Healthcare for People with Liver Disease uses data sets in the form of maps to reveal the extent of variations in services and outcomes."

NHS Atlas of Variation in Healthcare for People with Liver Disease
NHS RightCare
March 2013

Read more here.

Thursday 21 March 2013

Making integrated care happen at scale and pace


"The aim of this paper is to support the process of ‘making it happen’ by summarising the steps that need to be taken to make integrated care a reality ..."

Making integrated care happen at scale and pace
C Ham, N Walsh
March 2013

Read more here.

Developing a specification for lifestyle weight management services


"The guidance has been developed by the Department of Health, working closely with public health commissioners, weight management providers, and includes input from academics with expertise in weight management."

Developing a specification for lifestyle weight management services: best practice guidance for tier 2 services
Obesity and Food Policy Branch, Department of Health
March 2013

Read more here.

Child health profiles


"Child Health Profiles provide a snapshot of child health and well-being for each local authority in England using key health indicators, which enables comparison locally, regionally and nationally. By using the profiles local organisations can work in partnership to plan and commission evidence-based services based on local need."

Child health profiles
Child and Maternal Health Observatory (from 01/04/13 part of Public Health England)
March 2013

Access the child health profiles here.

Wednesday 20 March 2013

Being open and honest about NHS finance


"The NHS Confederation has published a report that lays out the choices we face to guarantee the delivery of safe, effective and sustainable health services in the years to come."

Tough times, tough choices: being open and honest about NHS finance
NHS Confederation
March 2013


Read more here.

A summary is available here.

Resource modelling to inform decision making and service planning


"Resource modelling of this type complements conventional cost-effectiveness analyses and can help inform policy making and service planning."

Using resource modelling to inform decision making and service planning: the case of colorectal cancer screening in Ireland
L Sharp, et al.
BMC Health Services Research, 2013, 13:105

Read more here.

Tuesday 19 March 2013

Challenges in health care financing and provision


The Nordic Economic Policy review has produced a special issue about challenges in health care financing and provision. Articles include:

  • Ageing populations: more care or just later care?
  • Lifestyle, health and costs - what does available evidence suggest?
  • The economics of long-term care: a survey
  • The role of primary health care in controlling the cost of specialist health care
  • Payments in support of effective primary care for chronic conditions
  • An economic assessment of price rationing versus non-price rationing of health care
  • Should pharmaceutical costs be curbed?
  • Productivity differences in Nordic hospitals: Can we learn from Finland?


Access the full issue here.

Systems innovation


This discussion paper is made up of two essays which outline how systems innovation works, and concludes with ten tips describing how to become an effective systems innovator.

Systems innovation discussion paper
G Mulgan, C Leadbeater
Nesta
January 2013

Read more here.

Integration across government


"This report examines how well government identifies and implements opportunities to integrate public services or other programmes."

Integration across government
Cabinet Office and HM Treasury
National Audit Office
March 2013

Read more here.

Fit enough for patients?


"Physiotherapy services play a vital role in improving staff health and wellbeing, and many of the trusts highlighted in this report are already putting physiotherapy at the heart of wellbeing services for staff."

Fit enough for patients? An audit of workplace health and wellbeing services for NHS staff
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
March 2013

Read more here.

Framework for sexual health improvement in England


"This document sets out the evidence base for sexual health and HIV improvement It has been developed to provide the information, evidence base and support tools to enable everyone involved in sexual health to work collaboratively at local level to ensure that accessible services and interventions are available."

A framework for sexual health improvement in England
Department of Health
March 2013

Read more here.

Using aggregate measures to assess the quality of NHS hospitals


"Quality in the NHS is complex, with information often resting in different places in different formats, with little or no linkage or context."

Quality at a glance: using aggregate measures to assess the quality of NHS hospitals
MHP Health Mandate
March 2013

Read more here.

Monday 18 March 2013

Making health care safer


The Annals of Internal Medicine have published a special edition reviewing the evidence supporting strategies to improve patient safety. The articles included in this issue are:


  1. The top patient safety strategies that can be encouraged for adoption now promoting a culture of safety as a patient safety strategy: a systematic review
  2. In-facility delirium prevention programs as a patient safety strategy: a systematic review
  3. Patient safety strategies targeted at diagnostic errors: a systematic review 
  4. Inpatient fall prevention programs as a patient safety strategy: a systematic review
  5. Medication reconciliation during transitions of care as a patient safety strategy: a systematic review
  6. Nurse–patient ratios as a patient safety strategy: a systematic review
  7. Preventing in-facility pressure ulcers as a patient safety strategy: a systematic review
  8. Rapid-response systems as a patient safety strategy: a systematic review
  9. Simulation exercises as a patient safety strategy: a systematic review
  10. Hospital-initiated transitional care interventions as a patient safety strategy: a systematic review


Read the whole issue here.

Transforming local care


"This Briefing shows how the community health sector is driving the transformation of local care systems and how innovative community healthcare providers are enabling people to stay healthy and independent and avoid crises that lead to unplanned hospital admissions."

Transforming local care
NHS Confederation
March 2013 Issue 258

Read more here.

Friday 15 March 2013

Putting QIPP and Francis at the heart of commissioning support


"Implementing QIPP and the Francis report and the need to help commissioners drive transformational change emerged as the key themes of a brainstorming event about developing effective commissioning support."

Putting QIPP and Francis at the heart of commissioning support
Commissioning Excellence
March 2013

Read more here.

What works: evidence centres for social policy


"It is a fundamental principle of good public services that decisions are made on the basis of strong evidence and what we know works."

What works: evidence centres for social policy
HM Government
March 2013

Read more here.

Thursday 14 March 2013

The Francis Public Inquiry Report: a response


"The Francis Report alludes to, but does not develop, some important underlying tensions in the current system that might need some further consideration."

The Francis Public Inquiry Report: a response
Nuffield Trust
March 2013

Read more here.

Wednesday 13 March 2013

Building European reference networks in health care


"Experience and knowledge are key in ensuring safe and high quality health care and, coupled with the efficient use of resources (economy of scale), essential for creating smart, responsive and sustainable health systems."

Building European reference networks in health care. Exploring concepts and national practices in the European Union
Edited by W Palm, IA Glinos, B Rechel, P Garel, R Busse, J Figueras
European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
February 2013

Read more here.

Health promotion innovation in primary health care


"This paper provides an argument for training primary health care (PHC) practitioners in health promotion, while encouraging them to embrace innovation within their practice to streamline the treatment process and improve patient outcomes."

Health promotion innovation in primary health care
A McManus
Australasian Medical Journal, 2013, 6(1): 15-18

Read more here.

How to think about evidence when deciding whether to adopt an innovation


"One challenge in deciding whether to implement an innovation is the need to assess its likely value and benefits in a local health system or delivery setting."

How to think about evidence when deciding whether to adopt an innovation
BS Mittman, J Ovretveit, PE Plsek
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
February 2013

Read more here.

Service redesign case studies


NHS Confederation is publishing a series of service redesign case studies:



Cardiovascular disease outcomes strategy


"This strategy is being launched to coincide with The Lancet publication showing the UK’s relatively poor mortality rates and the Department of Health’s call to action to the health and care system to improve mortality rates across the board."

Cardiovascular disease outcomes strategy: improving outcomes for people with or at risk of cardiovascular disease
Department of Health
March 2013

Read more here.

Computer technology may reduce medication errors


"Current policies to increase CPOE adoption and use will likely prevent millions of additional medication errors each year."

Reduction in medication errors in hospitals due to adoption of computerized provider order entry systems
DC Radley, MR Wasserman, LEW Olsho, SJ Shoemaker, MD Spranca, B Bradshaw
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 2013, online first

Read more here.

Securing excellence in commissioning for offender health


"To improve integrated care for offenders, there needs to be seamless service delivery and planning across pathways and across commissioners."

Securing excellence in commissioning for offender health
The NHS Constitution
February 2013

Read more here.

Characteristics associated with the quality of cardiovascular disease prevention


"There was a positive association between the quality of CVRM in individuals at high risk for developing CVD and the availability of preventive services related to risk assessment and lifestyle management supported by information technology."

Which practice characteristics are associated with the quality of cardiovascular disease prevention in European primary care?
S Ludt, SM Campbell, D Petek, J Rochon, J Szecsenyi, J van Lieshout, M Wensing, D Ose
Implementation Science, 2013, 8:27

Read more here.

Emergency preparedness, resilience and response


"This Briefing supports commissioners by outlining the scope and importance of EPPR and their own role in it, key questions and answers regarding EPRR, and sources of further information and guidance."

Emergency preparedness, resilience and response: a guide for ambulance commissioners
National Ambulance Commissioners Group
NHS Confederation
March 2013

Read more here.

Patient online: the road map


"Patient Online describes access by patients to online services (booking and cancelling of appointments, ordering of repeat prescriptions), online communication with the practice and online records."

Patient online: the road map
The Royal College of General Practitioners
March 2013

Read more here.

Waiting management at the emergency department


"To manage non-acceptable waiting is a driving force behind much of the staff behavior at an Emergency Department."

Waiting management at the emergency department - a grounded theory study
L Burstrom, B Starrin, ML Engstrom, H Thulesius
BMC Health Services Research, 2013, 13:95

Read more here.

Lining up: how is harm measured?


"Lessons from an ethnographic research study of interventions to reduce central line infections."

Learning report: Lining up: how is harm measured?
The Health Foundation
February 2013

Read more here.

Tuesday 5 March 2013

Health care lessons from Australia


"This paper is the first in a series that examines the way health services are funded and delivered in other nations."

Health care lessons from Australia
N Esmail
Fraser Institute
February 2013

Read more here.

Fast track for a foot attack: reducing amputations


"Amputations have been reduced by over 50% where hospitals have introduced multidisciplinary footcare teams and promoted rapid access to them."

Putting feet first: fast track for a foot attack: reducing amputations
Diabetes UK
February 2013

Read more here.

Regulatory cultures and research governance


"This report is intended to help improve understanding of health research governance in the UK by exploring the regulatory practices and cultures in other countries and sectors."

Regulatory cultures and research governance
C Manville, P Hackett, S Gunashekar, M Morgan Jones
RAND Europe
2013

Read more here.

Quality improvement and accreditation mechanisms in primary healthcare


"Overall, the quality improvement studies show evidence of varying support and strength of the effects of quality improvement on outcomes in primary healthcare."

Synthesis of quality improvement and accreditation mechanisms in primary healthcare
M O'Beirne, et al.
Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement
December 2012

Read more here.

Lifecourse Tracker


"This report is based on the first of a series of bi-annual surveys which will track core health behaviours, their interactions and influences, and how these vary across lifecourses."

Lifecourse Tracker: Wave 1 Spring 2012: interim summary report
B Williams, C Bhaumik, A Silk
GfK NOP Social Research
February 2013

Read more here.

Anatomy of health spending 2011/12


"This report presents findings of new analysis of the financial performance of the NHS in England and the Department of Health between 2003/04 and 2011/12. It examines recent changes in the labour productivity of acute hospitals (both NHS and foundation trusts), identifies the factors associated with variations in labour productivity and develops a new measure of labour productivity."

The anatomy of health spending 2011/12
NM Jones, A Charlesworth
Nuffield Trust
March 2013

Read more here.

Friday 1 March 2013

Commissioning high-quality care for people with long-term conditions


"This study explored what commissioners actually do to commission care for people with long-term conditions, and how this might be improved."

Commissioning high-quality care for people with long-term conditions
J Smith, A Porter, S Shaw, R Rosen, I Blunt, N Mays
Nuffield Trust
March 2013

Read more here.