Self-assessment toolkit for local Healthwatch and local Healthwatch Commissioners

"This toolkit is not intended to replace any of that advice but sets out some key governance questions for LHW and local commissioners to think about in development discussions and in renegotiating contracts."

Local Healthwatch Governance: a self-assessment toolkit for local Healthwatch and local Healthwatch Commissioners
Local Government Association
July 2015

Read more here.

Boards, leadership and the NHS

"There is no legal form, structure or system that can completely inoculate NHS provider organisations against failure because organisations are led by people not systems or methodologies, and as in any industry, success is contingent on the cumulative behaviour of individuals. But good corporate governance provides a vehicle for the provision of sound leadership, clear direction and dynamic accountability."

We need to talk about boards: Boards, leadership and the NHS
NHS Providers
July 2015

Read more here.

Reconsidering accountability in an age of integrated care

"The NHS and publicly funded social care are important not only for people’s individual wellbeing, but also to the health of the population, the fairness of our society, levels of taxation and economic growth. Hence, although it may be tempting to argue that health and care decisions should be left solely to clinicians and patients, it is surely right that services are accountable to the public."

Reconsidering accountability in an age of integrated care
B Jupp
Nuffield Trust
July 2015

Read more here.

Learning not blaming

"The three reports that we are building on in developing our policy are distinct in their concerns, and this document addresses points raised in each of the three reports in turn. But there are also some common themes that run through them:

• openness, honesty and candour;
• listening to patients, families and staff;
• finding and facing the truth;
• learning from errors and failures in care;
• people and professionalism;
• the right culture from top to bottom."

Learning not blaming: The government response to the Freedom to Speak Up consultation, the Public Administration Select Committee report 'Investigating Clinical Incidents in the NHS', and the Morecambe Bay Investigation
Department of Health
July 2015

Read more here.

Commissioning and contracting for integrated care

"In this paper, we describe two broad frameworks that are currently being developed in five areas of the country to stimulate more integrated models of care – a prime contract and an alliance contract."

Commissioning and contracting for integrated care
R Addicott
The King’s Fund
November 2014

Read more here.

Related links:

• Joined-up care in action: integrated care map – containing case studies from the report
• Summary of the three contractual frameworks 

Click here to read a summary from The Commissioning Elf.

Part of the National Elf Service

Accountable clinicians and informed patients

"A patient’s entire stay in hospital should be coordinated and caring, effective and efficient with an individual named clinician – the Responsible Consultant/Clinician – taking overall responsibility for their care whilst retaining the principles of multidisciplinary team working."

Guidance for taking responsibility: Accountable clinicians and informed patients
Academy of Medical Royal Colleges
June 2014

Read more here.

Improving population health one person at a time?

"This qualitative interview study explored perceptions of the phrases ‘population health’, ‘public health’ and ‘community health’."

Improving population health one person at a time? Accountable care organisations: perceptions of population health—a qualitative interview study
DJ Noble, T Greenhalgh, LP Casalino
BMJ Open, 2014;4:e004665

Read more here.

Commissioning and funding general practice

"The complex commissioning environment (tendering processes and financial risk) could preclude many GPs from developing services or operating in formal partnerships."

Commissioning and funding general practice
R Addicott, C Ham
The King's Fund
February 2014

Read more here.

Read a summary from the Commissioning Elf here.

Delivering integrated care and support

"The achievement of personal outcomes for individuals should be the focus of integrated care and support."

Delivering integrated care and support
A Petch
Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services
February 2014

Read more here.

Your hospital's path to the second curve: integration and transformation

"The health care field will ultimately shift from the "first curve," where hospitals operate in a volume-based environment, the the "second curve" where they will be building value-based care systems and business models."

Your hospital's path to the second curve: integration and transformation
American Hospital Association
January 2014

Read more here.

The role of academic health science centres and networks in England

"This article focuses on accountability relationships in universities and teaching hospitals, as well as other healthcare providers that form core constituent parts of academic health science centres and networks."

Improving accountability through alignment: the role of academic health science centres and networks in England
PV Ovseiko, A Heitmueller, P Allen, SM Davies, G Wells, GA Ford, A Darzi, AM Buchan
BMC Health Services Research, 2014, 14:24

Read more here.

Hard truths: essential actions

"The focus on measuring safety is welcome, but measures should be developed to assess the future risk of harm, not just the occurrence of past harm."

Hard truths: essential actions
The Health Foundation
December 2013

Read more here.

An exploration of the early development of Clinical Commissioning Groups in the English NHS

"This early study raises some important issues and concerns, including the risk that the different bodies to whom CCGs are accountable will have differing (or conflicting) agendas, and the lack of clarity over the operation of sanction regimes."

Accountable to whom, for what? An exploration of the early development of Clinical Commissioning Groups in the English NHS
K Checkland, P Allen, A Coleman, J Segar, I McDermott, S Harrison, C Petsoulas, S Peckham
BMJ Open, 2013, 3:e003769

Read more here.

Speech: The silent scandal of patient safety

This speech, delivered by The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP on 21st June 2013, describes the issues with patient safety, and what the NHS needs to do to improve:

"Through better measurement and reporting of the extent of harm free care in our hospitals. But most of all, through by creating a new culture which engages and listens better to frontline staff so they help us to design systems that prioritise safety whatever the pressures."

Read the full speech 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.

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.

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.

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.

Lessons from Europe: provider governance

"This Briefing outlines key insights from a Lessons from Europe seminar that examined the impact of recent reforms in hospital governance in Spain and the Netherlands."

Lessons from Europe: provider governance
NHS European Office
February 2013

Read more here.

Making it better? Assuring high-quality care in the NHS

"Evidence from high-quality healthcare organisations across the world demonstrates the importance of organisational culture in ensuring the delivery of high-quality, patient-centred care."

Making it better? Assuring high-quality care in the NHS
NHS Confederation
February 2013

Read more here.