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

Read more here.

Large-scale general practice in England

"In this paper authors present the findings of a review of the literature which contributes to the Nuffield Trust’s stream of work on large-scale general practice, including the recently published findings of a 15-month mixed methods research study, Is Bigger Better? Lessons for Large-Scale General Practice. The report, published in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, aims to answer the following questions:

1. Which organisational form(s) have large-scale collaborations of GP practices adopted in England
2. What are they expected to deliver?
3. What evidence is available on their impact in England?
4. What can we learn from initiatives with similarities?"

Large-scale general practice in England: What can we learn from the literature?
L Pettigrew, N Mays, S Kumpunen, R Rosen
Nuffield Trust
September 2016

Read more here.

Making IT work

"The goal of digitisation of health systems is to promote what has become widely known as healthcare’s Triple Aim: better health, better healthcare, and lower cost. These aims are consistent with those of the NHS’s 2014 Five Year Forward View, which called for improvements in quality and service, as well as £22 billion in efficiencies. The Advisory Group believes that trying to achieve the aims of the Five Year Forward View without giving highest priority to digitisation would be a costly and painful mistake."

Making IT work: Harnessing the power of health information technology to improve care in England
R Wachter
Department of Health
September 2016

Read more here.

Achieving change in primary care

"Conclusions There is a substantial literature on implementation strategies aimed at changing professional practices or behaviour. It remains unclear which implementation strategies are more likely to be effective than others and under what conditions. Future research should focus on identifying and assessing the effectiveness of strategies targeted at the wider context and organisational levels and examining the costs and cost-effectiveness of implementation strategies."

Achieving change in primary care—effectiveness of strategies for improving implementation of complex interventions: systematic review of reviews
R Lau, et al.
BMJ Open, 2015, 5:2009993

Read more here.

Need to nurture: outcomes-based commissioning in the NHS

"Outcomes-based commissioning is an approach to commissioning health care that is based on the combination of five components: (1) use of outcomes; (2) a population approach; (3) use of metrics and learning; (4) payments and incentives; and (5) coordinated delivery. Rather than an individual intervention, it is one part of a broader approach to transforming a whole health care system."

Need to nurture: outcomes-based commissioning in the NHS
R Taunt, C Allcock, A Lockwood
The Health Foundation
September 2015

Read more here.

The future of primary care: Creating teams for tomorrow

"Building new models of care needs to be done equitably. Some of the most deprived areas of the country have the greatest recruitment problems, the biggest resource challenges and the greatest health need. First-class primary healthcare must be available in all parts of the NHS."

The future of primary care: Creating teams for tomorrow
Primary Care Workforce Commission
July 2015

Read more here.

Better value in the NHS: The role of changes in clinical practice

"The direct and indirect costs of preventable harm to the NHS can be significant, so reducing harm can save the NHS money as well as improving quality of care."

Better value in the NHS: The role of changes in clinical practice
H Alderwick, R Robertson, J Appleby, P Dunn, D Maguire
The King's Fund
July 2015

Read more here.

Making it better together: A call to action on the future of health and wellbeing boards

"This publication is a challenge and a call to action to local commissioners, Government and national bodies to support health and wellbeing boards in bringing about a radical transformation in the health of our communities."

A call to action on the future of health and wellbeing boards
Local Government Association
June 2015

Read more here.

Transforming our health care system: Ten priorities for commissioners

"Commissioners require a high level of technical competence to undertake the 'transactional' elements of commissioning."

Transforming our health care system: Ten priorities for commissioners
C Naylor, et al.
The King's Fund
June 2015

Read more here.

Transforming general practice: What are the levers for change?

"This report sets out the thinking and conclusions of a workshop held by the Nuffield Trust to consider how general practice might change as part of a wider transformation of the NHS."

Transforming general practice: What are the levers for change?
R Rosen
The Nuffield Trust
June 2015

Read more here.

Enabling local implementation of sustainable urgent and emergency care models

“Efforts should focus on building an effective community offer. This will require adequate investment to transform primary, community and social care – while ensuring that acute and emergency care remains sustainable.”

Rip off the sticking plaster now: Enabling the local implementation of sustainable urgent and emergency care models in 2015/16
NHS Confederation
April 2015

Read more here.

Staff engagement

"Research from health care and other sectors shows that leaders who help their organisations to develop a clear vision and a compelling narrative about mission and priorities achieve higher levels of staff engagement."

Staff engagement: six building blocks for harnessing the creativity and enthusiasm of NHS staff
The King's Fund
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.

Three tests for a credible health policy

"In order to meet this enormous challenge, there is consensus that over the next five years the NHS in England needs to focus on three aims:

1. maintaining and improving care quality now
2. transforming the way care is delivered for the future
3. achieving financial balance."

Three tests for a credible health policy
The Health Foundation
February 2015

Read more here.

Care services for people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour

"This report examines the challenge faced in delivering key commitments in the Winterbourne View Concordat, the extent to which these have been achieved, and the barriers to transforming care services for people with learning disabilities."

Care services for people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour
National Audit Office
February 2015

Read more here.

System-wide approach to turn around a struggling health economy

"Faced with a growing older population, one struggling health economy created a strategy and a no blame culture to improve their services."

The system-wide approach to turn around a struggling health economy
J Inglesfield, J McEvoy
Health Service Journal
February 2015

Read more here.

Examining new options and opportunities for providers of NHS care

"Organisational forms should develop to deliver the models of care which best suit local circumstances."

Examining new options and opportunities for providers of NHS care: The Dalton review
D Dalton
December 2014

Read more here.

Click here to read a summary from The Commissioning Elf.

Part of the National Elf Service

Why we need local deals to save public services

"We found an intelligent programme of modernisation, pay restraint, cost reduction, better procurement, outsourcing, management reorganisations and service sharing."

Bolder, braver and better: why we need local deals to save public services
Service Transformation Challenge Panel
Public Service Transformation Network
November 2014

Read more here.

People helping people: the future of public services

"This report argues that mobilising the energy and contributions of members of the public should become a core organising principle for public services."

People helping people: the future of public services
E Clarence, M Gabriel
NESTA
September 2014

Read more here.

The NHS Productivity Challenge

While it is true that there is also an increasing consensus around what makes a high-quality, sustainable health and care system, three inputs are needed to achieve this service and unlock the greater efficiency and improved outcomes it can offer:

• more time
• more money for transformational change and short-term support
• measures to support change and value for money.

The NHS Productivity Challenge: experience from the front line
J Appleby, A Galea, R Murray
The King's Fund
May 2014

Read more here.