Do NHS healthcare commissioners produce the outcomes they hope to achieve?

"Commissioners made marginal investments in specific health conditions and services with the aim of improving a wide range of outcomes. There was little evidence of impact on the limited number of outcomes measured."

Do marginal investments made by NHS healthcare commissioners in the UK produce the outcomes they hope to achieve? Observational study
A O'Cathain, F Sampson, M Strong, M Pickin, E Goyder, S Dixon
BMJ Open, 2014, 5:e009336

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Commissioning standards integrated urgent care

"These standards build on the success of NHS 111 and will help to deliver the benefits for all patients set out in the Urgent and Emergency Care review led by Sir Bruce Keogh. The intent is to enable commissioners to deliver a functionally integrated 24/7 urgent care service that is the ‘front door’ of the NHS and which provides the public with access to both treatment and clinical advice. This will include NHS 111 providers and GP Out-of-hours services, community services, ambulance services, emergency departments and social care."

Commissioning standards integrated urgent care
NHS England
September 2015

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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

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What's behind the A&E 'crisis'?

"This briefing, part of a series from the Nuffield Trust ahead of the General Election, examines up-to-date data and long-term trends with regard to urgent care in England; analyses common theories and explanations of recent problems; and summarises current thinking about the potential solutions."

Policy Briefing: What's behind the A&E 'crisis'?
I Blunt, N Edwards, L Merry
Nuffield Trust
March 2015

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Whole-system solutions for urgent and emergency care

“This follow-up report acts as a roadmap to the fundamental changes required to create a sustainable and high-quality urgent and emergency care system that can meet the needs of patients now and in the future.”

Ripping off the sticking plaster: whole-system solutions for urgent and emergency care
NHS Confederation
March 2014

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Government response to the House of Commons Health Select Committee Report into Urgent and Emergency Services

"There is a pressing need for clearer information to be produced which can detail where urgent care cases present across the system and the case mix of urgent patient presentations; it is also important to monitor waiting times for urgent and emergency services in order to ensure that services are accessible to patients in urgent need of care."

Government response to the House of Commons Health Select Committee Report into Urgent and Emergency Services (Second Report of Session 2013-14)
Department of Health
October 2013

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Stretched to the limit: a survey of emergency medicine consultants in the UK

"This report, the first of its kind, describes the working practices of consultants and other senior decision makers in the Emergency Department (ED), the pressures they face and the impact on their working lives."

Stretched to the limit: a survey of emergency medicine consultants in the UK
TB Hassan, B Walker, M Harrison, F Rae
The College of Emergency Medicine
October 2013

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Urgent and emergency services

"Growing demand on A&E departments will make them unsustainable if effective action is not taken quickly to relieve the pressures on them."

Urgent and emergency services
House of Commons Health Committee
July 2013

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NHS England: Improving A&E Performance Gateway ref: 00062

"Working closely with other key stakeholders, and building on the views already shared from CCGs and providers, NHS England will put in place an approach that will support the emergency and urgent care system, reduce pressure and ensure that patients do not have to wait longer than the agreed standards as identified in the NHS constitution and thus meet the national operating target of 95%."

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Driving improvement in A & E services

"Trusts have reduced reattendance rates by providing comprehensive information and followup advice when patients leave A & E."

Driving improvement in A & E services
Foundation Trust Network
October 2012

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Urgent care centres: what works best?

"This paper offers some key thinking points for clinical commissioners to consider as they develop their plans for integrated, 24/7 urgent and emergency care."

Urgent care centres: what works best?
Primary Care Foundation
October 2012

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Getting to grips with integrated 24/7 emergency and urgent care

"This report considers the challenges and opportunities facing urgent care commissioners as they strive to develop an integrated 24/7 service while also introducing NHS 111."

Getting to grips with integrated 24/7 emergency and urgent care
NHS Alliance
October 2012

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Value of healthcare services

Doctors, nurses and other health professionals are coming together with  patients and their representatives to look at health services in south west London in the Better Services, Better Value review. The following six reports show much of the thinking and analysis that has taken place to understand how people use the south west London health services and the quality of the service they receive in terms of outcomes and experience.

• Long-term conditions and out of hospital care (including mental health) clinical working group: draft clinical report
• Planned care clinical working group: draft clinical report
• Maternity and newborn clinical working group: draft clinical report
• Children's services clinical working group: draft clinical report
• End of life care working group: draft clinical report
• Urgent care clinical working group: draft clinical report

Breaking the mould without breaking the system

"This resource is designed to offer ideas and inspiration to everyone responsible for commissioning urgent and emergency care in the UK, in particular, the new clinical commissioning groups in England."


Breaking the mould without breaking the system: new ideas and resources for clinical commissioners on the journey towards integrated 24/7 urgent care
D Carson, H Clay, R Stern
Primary care Foundation
November 2011

Read more here.