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.

2016 Health Profiles

Public Health England has published the 2016 Health Profiles. The Health Profiles provide a snapshot of health and wellbeing for each local authority in England using a range of charts and text. They pull together existing information in one place and contain data on a range of indicators for local populations.

Access them here.

High need, high-cost patients

"Those who face financial or other barriers to care, or who are less likely to seek care when medically needed, may be underrepresented in counts of chronic diseases because they have not had the opportunity to be medically evaluated and diagnosed."

High need, high-cost patients: Who are they and how do they use health care? A population-based comparison of demographics, health care use, and expenditures
SL Hayes, CA Salzberg, D McCarthy, D Radley, MK Abrams, T Shah, G Anderson
The Commonwealth Fund
August 2016

Full report and accompanying date available here.

Health system performance for the high-need patient

"The health care system needs to work better for the highest-need, most-complex patients. This study’s findings highlight the importance of tailoring interventions to address their needs."

Health system performance for the high-need patient: A look at access to care and patient care experiences
CA Salzberg, SL Hayes, D McCarthy, D Radley, MK Abrams, T Shah, G Anderson
The Commonwealth Fund
August 2016

Read more here.

Improving handovers from hospital to home

"This study protocol describes the implementation of TIP, which provides the foundation for a safe, reliable and accurate discharge process. If effective, nationwide implementation of the discharge bundle may result from this study protocol."

Implementation of a Transfer Intervention Procedure (TIP) to improve handovers from hospital to home: interrupted time series analysis
R van Seben, SE Geerlings, KJM Verhaegh, CGJM Hilders, BM Buurman
BMC Health Services Research, 2016, 16:479

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.