A councillor's guide to the health system in England

"This guide provides:

• a quick introduction to the health and social care system since the reforms of 2012 for all councillors who do not lead on health issues
• a brief outline of the purpose of the reforms and how they are intended to improve health
• a description of the different parts of the health system, national, regional and local their interrelationships with each other and with social care and the wider role of local government"

A councillor's guide to the health system in England
Local Government Association
May 2014

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Supporting people to manage their health

"Patient activation is a unique concept that captures a patient’s knowledge, skills and confidence in managing their health and health care and the likelihood that they will put these into action."

Supporting people to manage their health: an introduction to patient activation
J Hibbard, H Gilburt
The King's Fund
May 2014

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Mind the gap between recommendations and implementation

"Using the findings of incident investigations to improve patient safety management is well-established and mandatory under Swedish law. This study seeks to identify the mechanisms behind successful implementation of the recommendations of incident investigations."

Mind the gap between recommendation and implementation—principles and lessons in the aftermath of incident investigations: a semi-quantitative and qualitative study of factors leading to the successful implementation of recommendations
J Wrigstad, J Bergstrom, P Gustafson
BMJ Open, 2014, 4:e005326

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Health inequalities in European cities

"More funding should be put towards academic research on effective universal policies, evaluation of their impact and training policymakers and officers on health inequalities in city governments."

Health inequalities in European cities: perceptions and beliefs among local policymakers
J Morrison, et al
BMJ Open, 2014, 4:e004454

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The role of team climate in improving the quality of chronic care delivery

"The implementation of transition programmes requires a supportive and stimulating team climate to enhance the quality of chronic care delivery to chronically ill adolescents."

The role of team climate in improving the quality of chronic care delivery: a longitudinal study among professionals working with chronically ill adolescents in transitional care programmes
JM Cramm, MMH Strating, AP Nieboer
BMJ Open, 2014, 4:e005369

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Improving the physical health of adults with serious mental illness

"The results showed considerable variation in the extent to which programs succeeded in integrating primary care and behavioral health care services."

Improving the physical health of adults with serious mental illness
DM Scharf, et al.
RAND Corporation

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Spreading improvement ideas

"Based on a review of 477 studies, there is evidence that spreading good practice in local internal teams can be facilitated by targeting key individuals, providing focused and proactive training and internal marketing."

No. 20: Spreading improvement ideas: Tips from empirical research
D de Silva
The Health Foundation
May 2014

Read more here.