Tuesday 30 April 2013

Public Health England priorities


Public Health England will focus its energies on five priorities:

  1. Reducing preventable deaths
  2. Reducing the burden of disease
  3. Protecting the country's health
  4. Giving children and young people the best start in life
  5. Improving health in the workplace

Public Health England: Our priorities for 2013/14
Public Health England
April 2013

Read more here.

Monday 29 April 2013

Information: to share or not to share?


This is a review of the original Caldicott principles, and presents an updated list together with an additional principle.

Information: to share or not to share? The information governance review
Department of Health
March 2013

Read more here.

Commissioning HIV testing services in England


"This toolkit is designed primarily for the many individuals and organisations who will have some responsibility for the commissioning of HIV testing services."

Commissioning HIV testing services in England: a practical guide for commissioners
National AIDS Trust
March 2013

Read more here.

The changing national role in health system governance


"This study provides an overview of recent changes in the national government’s role in the governance of the health systems in 12 countries."

The changing national role in health system governance: a case-based study of 11 European countries and Australia
Edited by E Jakubowski, RB Saltman
World Health Organization (European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies)
April 2013

Read more here.

Friday 26 April 2013

Briefing on NHS health checks for local authorities


"Local authorities are now responsible for commissioning health checks. This briefing provides information about the programme."

Briefing on NHS health checks for local authorities
Primary Care Commissioning
April 2013

Read more here.

Improving care for people with dementia


"There are around 800,000 people with dementia in the UK, and the disease costs the economy £23 billion a year. By 2040, the number of people affected is expected to double - and the costs are likely to treble."

Improving care for people with dementia
Department of Health
April 2013

Read more here.

Using NICE guidance and quality standards to improve practice


"This guide aims to help and support health and social care provider organisations to implement National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance and use NICE quality standards to achieve improved quality of care in their local settings."

Using NICE guidance and quality standards to improve practice
NICE
April 2013

Read more here.

Role of complaints in transforming public services


"Getting complaints is much better than not getting complaints – they show that people think it’s worth complaining and that they will be listened to, and that they believe that they have power to influence the system."

Grumbles, gripes and grievances: the role of complaints in transforming public services
R Simmons, C Brennan
NESTA
April 2013

Read more here.

Reclaiming a population health perspective


"The report, which was written by the Nuffield Trust, commissioned by the National Association of Primary Care (NAPC), examines the arguments for encouraging and enabling general practices to take a much more proactive role in improving the health and wellbeing of their local populations, as well as their individual patients."

Reclaiming a population health perspective
R Thorlby
Nuffield Trust
April 2013

Read more here.



Reflections on a decade of NHS commissioning


"This report captures critical lessons from the past, and translates these into messages that are relevant to new commissioners."

Ambition, challenge, transition: reflections on a decade of NHS commissioning
NHS Confederation
April 2013

Read more here.

Read a summary from the Commissioning Elf here.

Quality governance


"A highly engaged board working in true partnership with the senior leadership team and wider staff, and where applicable the council of governors, is a critical factor in the successful delivery of quality improvement."

Quality governance: how does a board know that its organisation is working effectively to improve patient care? Guidance for boards of NHS provider organisations
Monitor
April 2013

Read more here.

Innovation in health economic modelling of service improvements for longer-term depression


"The purpose of the analysis was to develop a health economic model to estimate the costs and health benefits of alternative National Health Service (NHS) service configurations for people with longer-term depression. Cost-effective service improvements for longer-term depression have been identified. Also identified were limitations of the current evidence for the long term impact of services."

Innovation in health economic modelling of service improvements for longer-term depression: demonstration in a local health community
J Tosh, et al.
BMC Health Services Research, 2013, 13:150

Read more here.

Wednesday 24 April 2013

Report: Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust: Children's Congenital Cardiac Surgery Service


"Within the context and remit of this review no evidence was found of immediate significant safety concerns in terms of clinical governance, staffing or in the management of the patient pathway for surgical care in the Unit, or for referral to other Units in the examples of the specific case files examined."

Report of the External Review of Children’s Congenital Cardiac Surgery 
Service at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
D Riley
NHS England
April 2013

Read more here.

Effectiveness of computer reminders for improving quality assessment


"Thus, computer reminders seem to be useful for supporting the implementation of relatively simple procedures for quality and safety."

The effectiveness of computer reminders for improving quality assessment for point-of-care testing in general practice---a randomized controlled trial
M Brostrom Kousgaard, V Siersma, S Reventlow, R Ertmann, P Felding, F Boch Waldorff
Implementation Science, 2013, 8:47

Read more here.

NHS procurement, patient choice and competition


"This briefing has been produced for peers ahead of a debate that is taking place in the House of Lords on Wed 24 April, following a motion by Lord Hunt of King's Heath to annul the revised regulations. It may also be of interest to other individuals interested and engaged in discussions surrounding the implementation of the Health and Social Care Act."

Parliamentary Briefing: NHS procurement, patient choice and competition: response to draft regulations
Nuffield Trust
April 2013

Read more here.

Medical device alarm safety in hospitals


"These devices present a multitude of challenges and opportunities for health care organizations when their alarms create similar sounds, when their default settings are not changed, and when there is a failure to respond to their alarm signals."

Medical device alarm safety in hospitals
The Joint Commission Sentinel Event Alert
Joint Commission
Issue 50
April 2013

Read more here.

Tuesday 23 April 2013

Guide to performing quality assured diagnostic spirometry


"This step by step guide shows how high quality diagnostic spirometry can be delivered in primary care and elsewhere. It provides a clear outline covering operator competency, calibration and cleaning, preparation of the patient, operation of the equipment, interpretation of results and quality assurance."

A guide to performing quality assured diagnostic spirometry
Primary Care Commissioning
April 2013

Read more here.

Preparing for your 2013/14 Quality Account


"This page provides information to help local providers supply their Quality Accounts report."

National clinical audits for inclusion in quality accounts
Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership
April 2013

Access resources here.

Monday 22 April 2013

Exploring the dynamics of physician engagement and leadership for health system improvement


"The purpose of this literature review was to synthesize the existing knowledge regarding physician engagement and leadership and to identify key recommendations to enhance physician leadership skills, physician alignment with other components of the healthcare system, and the capacity to foster and improve the accountability of physicians for improved organizational and system performance."

Exploring the dynamics of physician engagement and leadership for health system improvement: prospects for Canadian healthcare systems
J-L Denis, et al.
GETOSS
April 2013

Read more here.

RCGP commissioning guidance in end of life care


"Guidance for GPs, Clinical Commissioning Group advisers and commissioners in supporting better care for all people nearing the end of their life."

RCGP commissioning guidance in end of life care
K Thomas, D Paynton
Royal College of General Practitioners
March 2013

Read more here.

Thursday 18 April 2013

Improving patient flow


"The Health Foundation created the Flow Cost Quality improvement programme to focus on the relationship between patient flow, costs and outcomes in two NHS hospital trusts: South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust."

Improving patient flow: learning report
The Health Foundation
April 2013

Read more here.

Case studies available here.

The measurement and monitoring of safety


"The aim of this report is to provide a framework and approach to measuring and monitoring safety in all relevant dimensions and facets. The report is based on review of safety literature, enquiries into safety practice in other industries, case studies of organisations, and discussions and interviews with a wide variety of people."

The measurement and monitoring of safety
C Vincent, S Burnett, J Carthey
The Health Foundation
April 2013

Read more here.

Patients' experience and satisfaction with GP led walk-in centres in the UK


"The GP led walk-in centres increased access to GP care and most of the patients were satisfied with the service."

Patients' experience and satisfaction with GP led walk-in centres in the UK; a cross sectional study
M Arain, J Nicholl, M Campbell
BMC Health Services Research, 2013, 13:142

Read more here.

Leading clinicians and clinicians leading


"Although heads of medical and nursing departments have obvious leadership roles, the need for leadership by clinicians deeper in the organization — usually without any formal title, authority, or leadership job description — is increasingly recognized."

Leading clinicians and clinicians leading
RMJ Bohmer
New England Journal of Medicine, 2013, 368:1468-1470

Read more here.

How should we pay for health care in future?


"The King’s Fund, in collaboration with Ipsos MORI, held two deliberative events with members of the public, one in London on 20 October 2012, and one in Leeds on 10 November 2012, to discuss how we will pay for health care in future. This paper summarises the key themes from those events."

How should we pay for health care in future?
A Galea, A Dixon, A Knox, D Wellings
The King's Fund
April 2013

Read more here.

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Health care lessons from Japan


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

Health care lessons from Japan
N Esmail
Fraser Institute
April 2013

Read more here.

Invitation to join NICE Quality and Outcomes Framework Advisory Committee


NICE is seeking new members to join its Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) Advisory Committee. The QOF rewards practices for the provision of quality care and helps standardise improvements in the delivery of clinical care.

Find out more about the application process here.

Bulletin for Clinical Commissioning Groups


This is the first CCG bulletin of the new financial year and the first in the new clinically-led commissioning system. Read more about future activities and events here.

Monday 15 April 2013

Improving the allocation of health resources in England


"We review how health resource allocation in England and the formula on which it is based have changed over time, with a detailed critique of how decisions are currently made and how the process will change from April."

Improving the allocation of health resources in England: how to decide who gets what
D Buck, A Dixon
The King's Fund
April 2013

Read more here.

Using research to influence policy change and population health improvement


"By applying what we know from translation theory to new challenges for improving population health, we can overcome barriers to dissemination and translation, and support evidence-based decision-making, and practice, in public health."

Using health services research to influence policy change and population health improvement
Academy Health
March 2013

Read more here.

Consumer engagement initiatives to improve health and health care


"In this article we identified the need for a framework to classify the wide array of consumer engagement interventions to help “make sense” of them as an important step to advancing knowledge of their value in improving the quality of health care through community-based efforts, or otherwise."

Making sense of “consumer engagement” initiatives to improve health and health care: a conceptual framework to guide policy and practice
JN Mittler, GR Martsolf, SJ Telenko, DP Scanlon
Milbank Quarterly, 2013, 91(1):37-77

Read more here.

National report of the National Hip Fracture Database


"While the challenges of improving post-acute care are recognised as substantial, greatly improving its documentation will provide a basis for comparisons that will be of interest not only to patients and their carers, but to acute and post-acute clinical teams, and to agencies commissioning hip fracture care – agencies which are likely to value cost-effectiveness, especially when it is linked to higher quality care....This Supplement to the National Hip Fracture Database 2012 National Report extends the findings of that Report and should be read in conjunction with it."

The National Hip Fracture Database National Report 2012 - supplement
National Hip Fracture Database
March 2013

Read more here.

Managing exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)


"This toolkit will provide additional help for those specifically wanting to improve their inpatient servicesfor people with an acute exacerbation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

This toolkit will focus on:

  • Non-invasive ventilation (NIV)
  • Access to specialist and clinical decision making
  • Care bundles
  • Pulmonary rehabilitation."

Managing exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a secondary care toolkit
NHS Improvement - Lung
March 2013

Read more here.

eGEMs (Generating Evidence & Methods to improve patient outcomes)


"eGEMs is an open access journal focused on using electronic clinical data to advance research and quality improvement, with the overall goal of improving patient and community outcomes."

Access the journal here.

Latest QIPP case studies


Evidence - QIPP has published some new QIPP case studies, including:

  • Improving the quality of care for patients with type 1 diabetes through dose adjustment for normal eating (DAFNE)
  • Cost and risk management in critical care - reducing the use of colloids

Access the latest QIPP case studies here.

Friday 12 April 2013

Breaking boundaries: a manifesto for primary care by the NHS Alliance


"This manifesto calls for all of us – patients, professionals, managers and policy makers – to break the boundaries that too often disable people from caring for themselves and prevent clinicians from delivering high quality, cost effective, integrated care with a new focus on health and wellbeing and prevention."

Breaking boundaries: a manifesto for primary care by the NHS Alliance
NHS Alliance
March 2013

Read more here.

40 ways to support patient leadership


"Patient Leaders are patients, service users and carers, who work with others at strategic level to influence change in health and healthcare. Patient leadership is more than patient and public engagement and can make a unique contribution to improving services. This Guide - the first of its kind - explains what patient leadership means and the role and purpose of patient leaders."

Bring it on - 40 ways to support patient leadership
Centre for Patient Leadership
April 2013

Read more here.

Wednesday 10 April 2013

The business case for people powered health


"The Business Case for People Powered Health describes the specific investments required to create services with a People Powered Health approach, and the practical benefits that can be achieved as a result."

The business case for people powered health
NESTA
April 2013

Red more here.

People powered health: health for people, by people and with people


"This report, and the programme it’s part of, make the case for changing the ways in which healthcare is organised. Specifically they show how healthcare can better combine the very best scientific and clinical knowledge with the expertise and commitment of patients themselves, as well as the families, communities and networks that they are part of."

People powered health: health for people, by people and with people
M Horne, H Khan, P Corrigan
NESTA
April 2013

Read more here.

Putting patients first


"This document builds on Everyone Counts: Planning for Patients 2013/14, the planning guidance for commissioners. Here, we set out in detail how we will support commissioners to use their valuable public resources to improve quality and secure the best possible outcomes for people."

Putting patients first: the NHS England business plan for 2013/14-2015/16
NHS England
April 2013

Read more here.

Tuesday 9 April 2013

Transforming our health care system

The King's Fund has outlined ten priorities for commissioning:
  1. Active support for self-management
  2. Primary prevention
  3. Secondary prevention
  4. Managing ambulatory care-sensitive conditions
  5. Improving the management of patients with both mental and physical health needs
  6. Care co-ordination through integrated health and social care teams
  7. Improving primary care management of end-of-life care
  8. Medicines management
  9. Managing elective activity – referral quality 
  10. Managing urgent and emergency activity
Transforming our health care system: ten priorities for commissioners
C Naylor, et al.
The King's Fund
April 2013

Read more here.


Link here to read a summary of this article, from the Commissioning Elf.

The MAGIC programme: evaluation


"An independent evaluation of the MAGIC (Making good decisions in collaboration) improvement programme."

The MAGIC programme: evaluation
The Health Foundation
April 2013

Read more here.

Implementing shared decision-making


"Clinical teams’ experiences of implementing shared decision making as part of the MAGIC (Making good decisions in collaboration) programme."

Implementing shared decision-making
The Health Foundation
April 2013

Read more here.

Monday 8 April 2013

Lean management also improves primary care


"The management principles used to improve quality and efficiency at Toyota Motor Corp. and other manufacturers also are linked to better delivery of cardiac care and lower death rates from heart attacks, according to research that demonstrates for the first time how well the so-called lean production system functions across a wide swath of U.S. hospitals."

Cardiac treatment improves after taking page from Toyota playbook
KB O'Reilly
American Medical News
April 2013

Read more here.

Two different strategies for promoting hand hygiene in hospital nurses


"In summary, with this study we were able to look inside the ‘black box’ of two hand hygiene improvement strategies, to generate insights into which strategy components are effective."

Explaining the effects of two different strategies for promoting hand hygiene in hospital nurses: a process evaluation alongside a cluster randomised controlled trial
A Huis, G Holleman, T van Acterberg, R Grol, L Schoonhoven, M Hulscher
Implementation Science, 2013, 8:41

Read more here.

NHS England publishes generic commissioning policies


"NHS England has published a number of interim generic policies, ensuring fair and consistent decision-making across its direct commissioning function. The 14 policies cover all aspects of NHS England’s direct commissioning responsibilities including specialised services, primary care, screening, military and offender health."

Access the policies here.

Clinical policies and statements for specialised services commissioning


"These new clinical commissioning policies underpin the commissioning of specialised services. They are important in clearly defining what NHS England expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services and importantly, sets equitable access to services across the country."

Access the clinical commissioning policies here.

Friday 5 April 2013

NICE support for commissioners of dementia care


"Commissioning dementia care in line with NICE guidance and standards should support commissioners to improve health and social care outcomes in line with the clinical commissioning group outcome indicator set and other national outcomes frameworks."

Access the resources here.

Learning modules to support the implementation of evidence-informed practice


The Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health has produced a set of online modules to support the implementation of evidence-informed practice. They work most effectively in Internet Explorer, and cover the following topics:

  • Opening module
  • Leading organizational change
  • Teamwork and collaboration
  • Needs assessment
  • Implementing evidence-informed practices
  • Monitoring and evaluating outcomes
  • Closing module

Access the modules here.

Working with communities, developing communities


"This report sets out the background and evidence for the mutual benefits that Community Development can bring for local citizens, primary care practitioners and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs)."

Working with communities, developing communities: guidance for primary care
Royal College of General Practitioners
March 2013

Read more here.

Joint health and social care quality standards


The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published the first joint health and social care quality standards, covering:


Thursday 4 April 2013

QUality, Efficiency, Safety, Transparency


"QUEST® — QUality, Efficiency, Safety and Transparency — is the largest multidimensional and multiyear collaborative designed to help hospitals and health systems reliably deliver the most efficient, effective and caring experience for every patient, every single time."

QUEST®: High-performing hospitals
Premier
March 2013

Read more here.

High quality care transitions


"This report aims to improve the safety of care transitions across the entire continuum of care by focusing particular attention on a relatively neglected aspect of care transitions: the appropriate roles and responsibilities of ambulatory practices (i.e., outpatient clinics and other similar settings) 
in ensuring the safety of patients transitioning in and out of inpatient settings."

There and home again, safely: 5 responsibilities of ambulatory practices in high quality care transitions
PE Sokol, MK Wynia
American Medical Association
March 2013

Read more here.

Quality standards for teledermatology


"Teledermatology involves referring an image of the skin or the skin appendages of a patient together with relevant history of the condition to a clinician for advice....Wherever possible, a teledermatology service should be part of an integrated local dermatology service and should not destabilise local specialist services but work with them to optimise patient care."

Quality standards for teledermatology
Primary Care Commissioning
March 2013

Read more here.

Factors that prevent or enable 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, AD Oxman, J Krause, NR Musila, M Wensing, M Godycki-Cwirko, R Baker, MP Eccles
Implementation Science, 2013, 8:35

Read more here.

Patients first and foremost

"This response to the shocking findings of the Inquiry sets out a five point plan to revolutionise the care that people receive from our NHS, putting an end to failure and issuing a call for excellence: 
A. Preventing problems 
B. Detecting problems quickly 
C. Taking action promptly 
D. Ensuring robust accountability 
E. Ensuring staff are trained and motivated"

Patients first and foremost: the initial Government response to the report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry
Department of Health
March 2013

Read more here.

Healthcare reform in the NHS England


"This report provides an overview of England’s journey to enacting the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and a summary of the transformed delivery of health services within the NHS England."

Healthcare reform in the NHS England: more lessons for Ontario
The Change Foundation
March 2013

Read more here.

Making the case for cardiac rehabilitation


"The analysis adds to existing evidence that CR saves lives and reduces readmissions by indicating that it also has the potential to save money."

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

Read more here.

Doctor Know: a knowledge commons in health


"In this paper, we argue that society’s growing ability to mobilise knowledge from different fields and sources is beginning to show the potential of a ‘knowledge commons’ in healthcare: an open system of knowledge with researchers, practicing clinicians, patients, their families and communities all involved in capturing, refining and utilising a common body of knowledge in real time."

Doctor Know: a knowledge commons in health
J Loder, L Bunt, JC Wyatt
March 2013

Read more here.

Top tips to overcome the challenge of commissioning diagnostic services


"This short guide presents top tips for commissioners to meet the most common challenges in the delivery of diagnostic services."

Top tips to overcome the challenge of commissioning diagnostic services
I Barnes, E Denton, S Hill, R Valori
NHS Improvement - Diagnostics
March 2013

Read more here.

Ensuring the continuity of health care services


"If a health care provider gets into financial difficulties, commissioners and Monitor must work together to make sure that patients continue to have access to services which are critical to patients and which no other provider may be close enough to or able to deliver."

Guidance for commissioners on ensuring the continuity of health care services: Designating commissioner requested services and location specific services
Monitor
March 2013

Read more here.

Instruments for assessing the risk of falls in acute hospitalized patients


"The STRATIFY scale was found to be the best tool for assessing the risk of falls by hospitalized acutely-ill adults."

Instruments for assessing the risk of falls in acute hospitalized patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis
M Aranda-Gallardo, et al.
BMC Health Services Research, 2013, 13:122

Read more here.

Living with and beyond cancer: taking action to improve outcomes


"The National Cancer Survivorship Initiative (NCSI) is an example of how, through working together, the NHS, voluntary sector and academia can innovate to start to understand and improve outcomes, realise efficiencies and empower patients."

Living with and beyond cancer: taking action to improve outcomes
Department of Health, Macmillan Cancer Support, NHS Improvement
March 2013

Read more here.

Improving the quality and safety of home oxygen services


"During the improvement projects, teams were encouraged to focus on driving the quality and appropriateness of the supply of oxygen, and improve the efficiency of services."

Improving the quality and safety of home oxygen services: the case for spread
NHS Improvement - Lung
March 2013

Read more here.