Improving healthcare quality in Europe

"Quality improvement initiatives take many forms, from the creation of standards for health professionals, health technologies and health facilities, to audit and feedback, and from fostering a patient safety culture to public reporting and paying for quality. For policy-makers who struggle to decide which initiatives to prioritise for investment, understanding the potential of different quality strategies in their unique settings is key.....This book is intended to help policy-makers to understand concepts of quality and to support them to evaluate single strategies and combinations of strategies."

Improving healthcare quality in Europe: Characteristics, effectiveness and  implementation of different strategies
European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
October 2019

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Role of the arts in improving health and well-being

What is the evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being in the WHO European Region?
World Health Organization
November 2019

"Arts interventions, such as singing in a choir to improve chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, are considered non-invasive, low-risk treatment options and are increasingly being used by Member States to supplement more traditional biomedical treatments. The Health Evidence Network (HEN) synthesis report on arts and health, which will be launched on 11 November 2019, maps the global academic literature on this subject in both English and Russian. It references over 900 publications, including 200 reviews covering  over 3000 further studies. As such, the report represents the most comprehensive evidence review of arts and health to date."

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Doctors' vision for change in the NHS

"Despite a growing need for care to be integrated around the needs of patients, doctors are prevented from providing joined-up care by bureaucratic barriers, communication gaps and competing organisational priorities. Working in silos is bad for patients and doctors. Removing obstacles to collaboration can help reduce doctors’ workloads and the unnecessary waste of time and resources."

Caring, supportive, collaborative: Doctors' vision for change in the NHS
BMA
2019

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Involving patients and the public in research

"The literature suggests there is value in a measured and customised approach to PPI based on the needs of the project. Doing PPI just for the sake of it, or bolting it onto already-agreed agendas, risks having unintended consequences."

Involving patients and the public in research
Marjanovic S, Harshfield A, Carpenter A, Bertscher A, Punch D, Ball S
The Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute, The Health Foundation
2019

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Systematic review of the effectiveness of quality improvement toolkits

"The review documents publicly available toolkits and their components. Available uptake data are limited but indicate variability. High satisfaction with toolkits can be achieved but the usefulness of individual tools may vary. The existing evidence base on the effectiveness of toolkits remains limited. While emerging evidence indicates positive effects on clinical processes, more research on toolkit value and what affects it is needed, including linking toolkits to objective provider behavior measures and patient outcomes."

Spread tools: a systematic review of components, uptake, and effectiveness of quality improvement toolkits
Hempel S, O’Hanlon C, Lim YW, Danz M, Larkin J, Rubenstein L
Implementation Science. 2019;14(1):83

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Healthy, prosperous lives for all: the European Health Equity Status Report

"The Health Equity Status Report (HESR) is a comprehensive review of the status and trends in health inequities and of the essential conditions needed for all to be able to live a healthy life in the WHO European Region."

Healthy, prosperous lives for all: the European Health Equity Status Report
World Health Organization
2019

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Evidence use in health, teaching, and policing

"This report outlines the pioneering evidence work of UK and Irish professional bodies in health, teaching and policing. They have been championing research and evaluation in the daily work of more than one million professionals – to improve the lives of patients, pupils and the wider public."

Bodies of Evidence How professional organisations in health, education and policing champion the use of research
J Breckon, H Mthiyane, J Shepherd
September 2019

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Developing people — improving care

NHS Improvement has updated their evidence-based national framework to guide action on improvement skill-building, leadership development and talent management for people in NHS-funded roles.

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Approaches to better value in the NHS

"This report shares learning and insight from three NHS hospital trusts that have developed organisation-wide strategies for value improvement. It draws on interviews, roundtables and site visits with senior leaders in the NHS who are committed to developing better value services."

Approaches to better value in the NHS: Improving quality and cost
J Jabbal, M Lewis
The King's Fund
October 2018

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A vision for population health

"The report outlines a framework for population health centred on four pillars: the wider determinants of health; our health behaviours and lifestyles; the places and communities we live in; an integrated health and care system."

A vision for population health: Towards a healthier future
D Buck, A Baylis, D Dougall, R Robertson
The King's Fund
November 2018

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Supporting successful innovation and improvement

"Adopters make a crucial contribution to the successful spread of new ideas, both through the hard work involved in adoption and their role in generating new learning about an intervention as it spreads."

The spread challenge: How to support the successful uptake of innovations and improvements in health care
T Horton, J Illingworth, W Warburton
The Health Foundation
September 2018

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Driving improvement in GP practices

"The case studies show that a good or outstanding GP practice needs to work as a team – including its clinical, administrative and managerial staff – with a shared vision, values and commitment to improving. This also means working as a multidisciplinary model, recognising the value of nursing teams in taking some of the clinical workload off GPs."

Driving improvement in GP practices
Care Quality Commission
June 2018

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Guidance: Health economics: a guide for public health teams

Public Health England has developed resources to help local commissioners achieve value for money by estimating the return on investment (ROI) and cost-effectiveness of public health programmes. Find out more here.

Evidence use in decision-making on introducing innovations

"The synthesis of results from primary qualitative studies showed that evidence use in decision-making on innovation is influenced by processes at multiple levels."

Evidence use in decision-making on introducing innovations: a systematic scoping review with stakeholder feedback
S Turner, et al.
Implementation Science, 2017, 12:145

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Challenging health inequalities: Support for CCGs

"Health inequalities are currently estimated to cost the NHS a total of at least £20 billion each year so it is imperative to harness the influence of each CCG to challenge where health inequalities can be reduced and greater equality established."

Challenging health inequalities: Support for CCGs
NHS England
October 2017

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Reaching out: Influencing the wider determinants of health

"This report focuses on the different ways in which public health in local
government is influencing the wider determinants of health, what the
challenges are, and where there is potential to go further." 

Reaching out: Influencing the wider determinants of health
New Local Government Network
November 2017

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Local authorities: Prevention in action

"Since our last report, there have also been some significant changes to the way health and social care services are planned. Every locality in England now has a sustainability and transformation partnership (STP) and plan, which are critical to transforming health and social care at a local level. For this year’s report, we have taken the new opportunity to assess prevention in STPs as well as repeating a review of joint health and wellbeing strategies and local authority Freedom of Information (FOI) responses."

Prevention in action: How prevention and integration are being understood and prioritised locally in England
O Field
British Red Cross
September 2017

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Making the case for quality improvement: lessons for NHS boards and leaders

"In this briefing, we outline 10 lessons for NHS leaders. These provide a starting point for leaders seeking to embed quality improvement in their work."

Making the case for quality improvement: lessons for NHS boards and leaders
The King's Fund
October 2017

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How non-health charities address the social determinants of health

"This report aims to support non-health charities to better understand and use the evidence about the social factors that impact on people’s health and well-being."

Keeping us well: How non-health charities address the social determinants of health
C Lamb, I Joy, K Boswell
New Philanthropy Capital
November 2017

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Psychosocial pathways and health outcomes

"This report highlights the current evidence that exists about the relationships between social determinants, psychosocial factors and health outcomes."

Psychosocial pathways and health outcomes: Informing action on health inequalities
R Bell
Institute of Health Equity
October 2017

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