The NHS if

"‘The NHS if’ is a collection of essays that explores hypothetical scenarios and their impact on the future of health and care. The King's Fund are asking a small number of experts – some of them members of staff at The King’s Fund and others external experts in their fields – to write short essays that consider ‘what if’ questions about health and care in England. We’ll be publishing these essays on this website throughout 2016.

The aim is to encourage new thinking and debate about possible future scenarios that could fundamentally change health and care. The essays cover three themes: the NHS and society; medicine, data and technology; and how the NHS works."

Read more here.

Tools to help provide care and support at home

"These pages provide useful tools, resources and examples of innovative approaches to enabling older people and people with disabilities to live well and independently in their own homes. They provide specific information across 8 key areas for adult social care commissioners, housing and care providers, primary care services and NHS hospital trusts on shaping, commissioning, funding, and delivering a range of care and support solutions for people living in their own homes."

Find out more here.

Using system change to reduce unplanned admissions in people aged 85 years and over

"Rising admission rates for older people were seen in places where several parts of the system were under strain. Places which had stemmed the rising tide of admissions had done so through strong, stable leadership, a shared vision and strategy, and common values across the system."

Establishing and implementing best practice to reduce unplanned admissions in those aged 85 years and over through system change [Establishing System Change for Admissions of People 85+ (ESCAPE 85+)]: a mixed-methods case study approach
A Wilson, et al.
Health Services and Delivery Research, 2015, 3(37)

Read more here.

Safely home: What happens when people leave hospital and care settings?

"This report does not include recommendations; instead it poses a challenge to the health and social care sector to take action now to improve people’s experience of leaving services."

Safely home: What happens when people leave hospital and care settings?
Healthwatch England
July 2015

Read more here.

Health policy priorities for a new parliament

"This collection of essays, published jointly by the All-Party Parliamentary Health Group (APHG) and The King’s Fund, maps out health priorities for the next Parliament, as seen from the perspective of a distinguished collection of authors, representing key stakeholders in the world of health."

Health policy priorities for a new parliament
The King's Fund
July 2015

Read more here.

e-Health and older people

"Acceptance of e-Health can be increased by informing people about the potential benefits of e-Health and letting them practice with the application. Special attention should be paid to people with less education and people who have not used the Internet before."

Determinants of the intention to use e-Health by community dwelling older people
AJE de Veer, JM Peeters, AEM Brabers, FG Schellevis, JJDJM Rademakers, AL Francke
BMC Health Services Research, 2015, 15:103

Read more here.

Asset-based approaches in health care

"The title, ‘Head, hands and heart’ refers to a well-known asset-mapping technique, in which participants are asked to respond to three questions: What knowledge do you have? (‘head’); What skills do you have? (‘hands’); What are you passionate about? (‘heart’).

The report introduces the theory and practice of asset-based approaches, explores some of the key principles for developing health assets and the evidence and mechanisms of impact on health outcomes of asset-based projects in the UK. It also identifies areas for further investigation."

Head, hands and heart: asset-based approaches in health care: A review of the conceptual evidence and case studies of asset-based approaches in health, care and wellbeing
T Hopkins, S Rippon
The Health Foundation
April 2015

Read more here.

Entrepreneurs and technology and the improvement of informal care in the UK

"With demand for informal care growing substantially, this paper explores the need for new tools and services to encourage greater supply of informal care and greater support for informal carers. We have identified the significant role social entrepreneurs and digital technology can play in providing such innovation, and we believe this creates a compelling case for impact investment in the informal care sector."

Who cares? The role that entrepreneurs and technology can play in improving informal care in the UK
K Mountain
Nesta Impact Investments
May 2014

Read more here.

Focus on....the health and care of older people

"This publication provides a compilation of information on older people living in England to give a broad picture of their health, care and wellbeing."

Focus on....the health and care of older people
Health & Social Care Information Centre
June 2014

Read more here.

Reducing the need for restrictive care

"The aim is to provide a framework within which adult health and social care services can develop a culture where restrictive interventions are only ever used as a last resort and only then for the shortest possible time."

Positive and proactive care: reducing the need for restrictive interventions (summary of key actions)
Department of Health
April 2014

Read more here.

Focus on: social care for older people

"This report describes the scale and nature of reductions in publicly funded social care budgets and services for older adults in England between 2010/11 and 2012/13."

Focus on: social care for older people
S Ismail, R Thorlby, H Holder
The Health Foundation, Nuffield Trust
March 2014

Read more here.

Making our health and care systems fit for an ageing population

"Improving services for older people requires us to consider each component of care, since many older people use multiple services, and the quality, capacity and responsiveness of any one component will affect others."

Making our health and care systems fit for an ageing population
D Oliver, C Foot, R Humphries
The King's Fund
March 2014

Read more here.

Safe, compassionate care for frail older people using an integrated care pathway

"This document summarises the evidence of the effects of an integrated pathway of care for older people and suggests how a pathway can be commissioned effectively using levers and incentives across providers."

Safe, compassionate care for frail older people using an integrated care pathway: practical guidance for commissioners, providers and nursing, medical and allied health professional leaders
NHS England, South
February 2014

Read more here.

Read a summary from the Commissioning Elf here.

Healthy ageing in the 21st century: the best is yet to come

"Enabling people to experience healthy ageing is a long-term project, for which society, communities, and we as individuals, need to plan carefully."

Healthy ageing in the 21st century: the best is yet to come
Birmingham Policy Commission
February 2014

Read more here.

Providing integrated care for older people with complex needs

"This report synthesises evidence from seven case study programmes, each from a different country, that are successfully delivering integrated health and social care for older people with complex needs."

Providing integrated care for older people with complex needs: lessons from seven international case studies
N Goodwin, A Dixon, G Anderson, W Wodchis
The King's Fund
January 2014

Read more here.

Older people's prevention services

"A challenge remains in how best to help Third Sector Organisations (TSOs) to set clear objectives and demonstrate their impact, without stifling their holistic and needs-driven approach to development and delivery."

Older people's prevention services: comparing perspectives of local authorities and the third sector
National Institute for Health Research
November 2013

Read more here.

Caring for an ageing population

"We looked beyond our own system to examine how Japan has tried to address the conundrum of providing sufficient and appropriate services for an increasing number of frail older people in an affordable and equitable way."

Caring for an ageing population
N Curry, H Holder, L Patterson
November 2013

Read more here.

Close to home recommendations review

"A major concern is that the low rates paid under some local authority contracts could make it difficult for providers to meet the assessed needs of older people in ways that protect their human rights."

Close to home recommendations review
Equality and Human Rights Commission
October 2013

Read more here.

Exploring the system-wide costs of falls in older people in Torbay

"This paper uses Torbay’s unique patient-level linked data set to explore the cost of the care pathway for older people admitted to hospital as a result of a fall by tracking their care costs in the 12 months before and after their fall."

Exploring the system-wide costs of falls in older people in Torbay
Y Tian, J Thompson, D Buck, L Sonola
The King's Fund
August 2013

Read more here.

Commissioning care and support for older people with high support needs

"Many models of care and support are based on mutually valued relationships and older people's contributions, but most operate beneath the radar of public sector commissioners."

Commissioning care and support for older people with high support needs
J Carrier
Joseph Rowntree Foundation
July 2013

Read the summary here.