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

Read more here.

Bringing hospital-level care to the patient

"This case study is one in an ongoing series examining programs that aim to improve outcomes and reduce costs of care for patients with complex needs, who account for a large share of U.S. health care spending."

The hospital at home model: Bringing hospital-level care to the patient
S Klein, M Hostetter, D McCarthy
The Commonwealth Fund
August 2016

Read more here.

Behavioural insights in health care

"The appeal of nudging remains ‘self-evident’ given that it offers simple, low-cost forms of intervention that are often more acceptable than traditional policy instruments. However, the evidence for the application of nudge-type interventions in health care is highly variable in terms of quality, relevance and impact. What evidence there is indicates that there is much innovation and development in this area and there is evidence enough to suggest that nudge-type interventions have considerable potential to change health care behaviours that drive inefficiency and waste."

Behavioural insights in health care: Nudging to reduce inefficiency and waste
C Perry, K Chhatralia, D Damesick, S Hobden, L Volpe
The Health Foundation
December 2015

Read more here.

Spending Review 2015: what it means for health and social care

"Care services in England remain on the brink of collapse despite the extra investment in social care. None of the measures outlined in the Spending Review will plug the funding gap in social care expected over the course of this Parliament."

Spending Review 2015: what it means for health and social care
Nuffield Trust Parliamentary Briefing
December 2015

Read more here.

Budgeting for balance: How hard is this going to be?

"In this paper, we look at the experience of fiscal consolidation so far, and how to approach the remainder of the task. Do we need to keep going until the deficit is literally zero, or can we get away with stopping when the deficit is back at its mid 2000 levels? Where have the savings come from so far, and what has been the impact on public services? How does the Government plan to find the rest of the savings, and how do we ensure that as many savings as possible come from increased efficiency?"

Budgeting for balance: How hard is this going to be?
J Dupont
Policy Exchange
November 2015

Read more here.

Models of care for high-need, high-cost patients

"This brief analyzes experts’ reviews of evidence about care models designed to improve outcomes and reduce costs for patients with complex needs. It finds that successful models have several common attributes: targeting patients likely to benefit from the intervention; comprehensively assessing patients’ risks and needs; relying on evidence-based care planning and patient monitoring; promoting patient and family engagement in self-care; coordinating care and communication among patients and providers; facilitating transitions from the hospital and referrals to community resources; and providing appropriate care in accordance with patients’ preferences."

Models of care for high-need, high-cost patients: An evidence synthesis
The Commonwealth Fund
November 2015

Read more here.

Tax and fiscal options for a sustainable UK health and social care system

"Our analysis suggests that there are challenging times ahead for health care across the UK. The NHS needs to embed and sustain rates of productivity improvement for the foreseeable future in a way that has hitherto proved difficult. Our analysis of the extra funding required would be sufficient to maintain the current service. It would not address known weaknesses in our health care system such as the lack of parity for mental health care."

Filling the gap: Tax and fiscal options for a sustainable UK health and social care system
A Roberts, S Thompson, A Charlesworth, B Gershlick, A Stirling
The Health Foundation
November 2015

Read more here.

Hospital trusts productivity in the English NHS

"In 2009, the NHS Chief Executive warned that a potential funding gap of £20 billion should be met by extensive efficiency savings by March 2015. Our study investigates possible drivers of differential Trust performance (productivity) for the years 2010/11-2012/13."

Hospital trusts productivity in the English NHS: uncovering possible drivers of productivity variations: CHE Research Paper 117
MJ Aragon Aragon, A Castelli, J Gaughan
Centre for Health Economics, University of York
October 2015

Read more here.

The cost of the cuts: a social impact tool for local authorities

"A major research project funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has catalogued and explored the implications of local council savings over the past five years. The aim of the project was to analyse the extent to which the range of measures – activities focused on reducing future needs and costs, reductions in services, changes in eligibility thresholds and consolidations of facilities – has impacted on poorer groups of service users. The result is a social impact tool which enables councils in England and Scotland to replicate a key part of the quantitative analysis undertaken for the study. This user guide introduces that social impact tool."

The cost of the cuts: a social impact tool for local authorities: User guide
A Hastings, N Bailey, G Bramley, M Gannon, D Watkins
Joseph Rowntree Foundation
October 2015

Read more here.

Study on the use of contractual mechanisms in commissioning

"Overall, the findings of the study indicate that retaining a national standard contract is advisable, as it can both ensure a degree of uniformity in respect of nationally important issues across the country, and reduce transactions costs involved in contract negotiation at local level."

Study on the use of contractual mechanisms in commissioning: Final report
P Allen, C Petsoulas, B Ritchie
Policy Research Unit in Commissioning and the Healthcare System
May 2015

Read more here.

The budget: Health and social care funding

"It is clear that if more funding is not forthcoming for the current year, the consequences will be significant – either patient care will suffer as staff are cut, waiting times rise and the quality of care deteriorates, or the Department of Health will overspend its budget."

The budget: Health and social care funding
The King's Fund
July 2015

Read more here.

Paths to sustainability for innovative delivery system programs

"We found widespread interest and activity in testing new care delivery models to improve health care quality and reduce costs in Massachusetts. However, the environment presents great uncertainty for the sustainability of these programs."

Paths to sustainability for innovative delivery system programs
PS Hussey, C Armstrong, EC Schneider
RAND Corporation
May 2015

Read more here.

Improving mental health in children and young people

"With better data, transparency and accountability, the value of investment in mental wellbeing and care for child and young people can, and we believe will, be demonstrated and justified."

Future in mind: Promoting, protecting and improving our children and young people's mental health and wellbeing
Department of Health, NHS England
March 2015

Read more here.

Planning for the Better Care Fund

"The initial planning for the £5.3 billion Better Care Fund was deeply flawed..... The Departments and NHS England redesigned the Fund and asked local areas to submit revised plans in September 2014. The latest plans suggest that local areas expect to pool £5.3 billion and save £532 million in 2015–16."

Planning for the Better Care Fund: Thirty-seventy report of session 2014-15
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts
The Stationery Office Limited
February 2015

Read more here.

Using technology to transform local public services

"This report seeks to highlight examples where councils have used technology and digital tools and approaches in ways that clearly demonstrate an impact both in terms of improved outcomes for citizens and financial savings."

Transforming local public services: Using technology and digital tools and approaches
Local Government Association
February 2015

Read more here.

Case studies available here.

Call for applicants: NHS Innovation Accelerator

"The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) programme invites leading healthcare pioneers from around the world to bring their tried and tested innovations to the NHS. The programme aims to select a broad range of innovations – products, processes and technologies – to be more rapidly developed and scaled across the health service, to improve patient care, and reduce costs."

Find out 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

Costs and effects after the implementation of disease management programs

"After one year we have found indications of improvements in level of integrated care for CVR (cardiovascular risk) patients and lifestyle indicators for all diseases, but in none of the diseases we have found indications of cost savings due to DMPs (disease management programs)."

Changes in costs and effects after the implementation of disease management programs in the Netherlands: variability and determinants
A Tsiachristas, J Murray Cramm, AP Nieboer, MPMH Rutten-van Molken
Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation, 2014, 12:17

Read more here.

Improvement science webinars

"The Health Foundation has produced this webinar series which will focus on issues of importance to the emerging community of improvement science researchers and practitioners in healthcare."

Access the webinars here.

Translation of cancer research

"This service configuration case study shows that the gains actually realised in the NHS may differ from those observed in trials – in this particular instance suggesting a situation where trial gains may underestimate what is now being achieved, though the reverse may be true in other cases."

Investigating time lags and attribution in the translation of cancer research: A case study approach
S Guthrie, S Hanney, J Grant
RAND Europe
2014

Read more here.