Acute medical care for frail older people

"Geriatricians supporting acute medical units will be able to help to identify older people who may be safely managed in the community, probably improving patient outcomes and reducing hospital bed-days."

Acute care toolkit 3: Acute medical care for frail older people
Royal College of Physicians
March 2012

Read more here.

Involving primary care clinicians in quality improvement

This report provides a candid critique of quality improvement approaches and evaluation methods.

Involving primary care clinicians in quality improvement
T Ling, B Soper, M Buxton, S Hanney, W Oortwijn, A Scoggins, N Steel
The Health Foundation
April 2012

Read more here.

Co-creating health: evaluation of first phase

"The first phase of the Co-creating Health improvement programme was a three year initiative in eight sites across the UK that aimed to demonstrate the impact, on clinicians and patients alike, of integrating self-management support into routine care for people with long-term conditions."

Co-creating health: evaluation of first phase
LM Wallace, A Turner, J Kosmala-Anderson, S Sharma, J Jesuthasan, C Bourne, A Realpe
The Health Foundation
April 2012

Intentional rounding: what is the evidence?

"The available evidence suggests that intentional rounding can help staff to organise their workload and provide more systematic reliable care."

Intentional rounding: what is the evidence?
Policy +
King's College, London
April 2012

Read more here.

The performance improvement imperative

"Improving care for the chronically ill is just one of many steps required to lower national health spending and bring about the dramatic change needed in the way health care is organized and provided."

The performance improvement imperative: utilizing a coordinated, community-based approach to enhance care and lower costs for chronically ill patients
The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System
April 2012

Read more here.

NICE guideline: Patient experience in adult NHS services

"This clinical guidance offers evidence-based advice on ensuring a good experience of care for people who use adult NHS services."

Patient experience in adult NHS services: improving the experience of care for people using adult NHS services: CG138
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)
February 2012

Read more here.

NICE guideline update: Infection control in primary and community care

"This clinical guideline (published March 2012) updates and replaces NICE clinical guideline 2 (published June 2003)."

Infection: prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections in primary and community care: CG139
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)
March 2012

Read more here.

The barriers and facilitators to routine outcome measurement by allied health professionals in practice

"Routine outcome measurement may only be deliverable if appropriate action is taken at individual therapist, team, and organisational levels of an organisation."

The barriers and facilitators to routine outcome measurement by allied health professionals in practice: a systematic review
EAS Duncan, J Murray
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:96

Read more here.

Smart guides to engagement

These seven guides are the first in a series of ten Smart Guides to Engagement, and they have been co-produced by Patient and Public Engagement experts from several organisations with support from the Department of Health:

1. Get smart about engagement
2. Engagement for commissioning success
3. Working with lay members and patient representatives
4. Working with LINks and local HealthWatch
5. Practices and patient engagement
6. Listening, learning and responding
7. Community development - improving population health

Health care leader action guide to effectively using HCAHPS

"HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems data) is a tool that can be used to help organizations improve the patient experience, and may have a related effect on clinical quality."

Health care leader action guide to effectively using HCAHPS
Health Research and Educational Trust
March 2012

Read more here.

Investing in emotional and psychological wellbeing for patients with long-term conditions

"This report brings together the evidence across diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and coronary heart disease, plus medically unexplained symptoms, to present a business case for investing in psychological services."

Investing in emotional and psychological wellbeing for patients with long-term conditions
Mental Health Network - NHS Confederation
April 2012

Read more here.

"NHS Confederation summarises the new Mental Health Network report, and describes how primary and secondary health services can improve patient outcomes, while reducing the overall costs of care for the NHS."

Read a summary here.

Emergency hospital admissions for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions

"This data briefing aims to highlight for commissioners the opportunity for improving the quality of care and saving costs that reducing emergency hospital admissions for ACSCs presents."

Data briefing: Emergency hospital admissions for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions: identifying the potential for reductions
Y Tian, A Dixon, H Gao
The King's Fund
April 2012

Read more here.

The care of frail older people with complex needs

"The summit recommends that excellence in the care of frail older people should be a priority for health and social care services, with the concept of human rights a standard point of reference."

The care of frail older people with complex needs: time for a revolution: The Sir Roger Bannister Health Summit
J Cornwell
The King's Fund
March 2012

Read more here.

Continuity of care for older hospital patients

"This exploratory paper draws attention to an overlooked but important topic: the contribution that continuity of care makes to the quality of care experienced in hospital by patients with multiple health problems aged 70 years and older, and also how it affects the experience of the people closest to them."

Continuity of care for older hospital patients: a call for action
J Cornwell, R Levenson, L Sonola, E Potellakhoff
The King's Fund
March 2012

Read more here.

Overcoming challenges to improving quality

"Within three main themes, The Health Foundation has identified 10 challenges to improvement that consistently emerge, and have suggested ways to overcome them."

Overcoming challenges to improving quality: Lessons from the Health Foundation's improvement programme evaluations and relevant literature
The Health Foundation
April 2012

Read more here.

Beyond consultation: a guide for health commissioners

"This guide suggests different and practical ways for health commissioners to encourage real engagement between service users and staff so that health services can adequately address the needs of seldom-heard groups."

Beyond consultation: a guide for health commissioners: How staff and service users can work together to improve health services
R Vincent, C Miskelly
Panos London and Naz Project
March 2012

Read more here.

Dementia: a public health priority

"The report provides the knowledge base for a global and national response to facilitate governments, policy-makers, and other stakeholders to address the impact of dementia as an increasing threat to global health."

Dementia: a public health priority
Alzheimer's Disease International, World Health Organization
March 2012

Read more here.

Creating a culture of sustainability

"Sustainability offers a way to connect employers with their employees and communities in a powerful way."

Creating a culture of sustainability: leadership, coordination and performance measurement decisions in healthcare
T Boone
University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health
April 2012

Read more here.

International perspectives on patient engagement

"Across countries,engaged patients reported receiving higher-quality care, fewer errors, and more positive views of the health system."

International perspectives on patient engagement: results from the 2011 Commonwealth Fund Survey
R Osborn, D Squires
Journal of Ambulatory Care Management, 2012, 35(2):118-128

Read more here.

Improving adult asthma care

"The aim of the NHS Improvement - Lung asthma work stream is to test which interventions have the biggest impact on patient outcomes and experience."

Improving adult asthma care: emerging learning from the national improvement projects
NHS Improvement - Lung National Improvement Projects
March 2012

Read more here.

Quality accounts: 2011/12 audit guidance

"Guidance for NHS trusts on additional reporting requirements to support external audit of Quality Accounts for the year 2011/12."

Quality accounts: 2011/12 audit guidance
Department of Health
April 2012

Read more here and access the accompanying toolkit here.

Knowledge management practices and healthcare delivery

"Being a knowledge driven process, healthcare delivery provides opportunity to incorporate knowledge management practices to improve processes."

Knowledge management practices and healthcare delivery: a contingency framework
P Bordoloi, N Islam
Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management, 2012, 10(1)

Read more here.

Uncovering middle managers' role in healthcare innovation implementation

"As middle managers’ responsibility in healthcare organizations increases, their potential influence over innovation implementation grows."

Uncovering middle managers' role in healthcare innovation implementation
SA Birken, SYD Lee, BJ Weiner
Implementation Science, 2012, 7:28

Read more here.

Incentive payments are not related to expected health gain in the pay for performance scheme for UK primary care

"When designing pay for performance programmes decisions about the size of the financial incentive attached to an indicator should be informed by information on the health gain to be expected from that indicator."

Incentive payments are not related to expected health gain in the pay for performance scheme for UK primary care: cross-sectional analysis
R Fleetcroft, N Steel, R Cookson, S Walker, A Howe
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:94

Read more here.

Levels of harm in primary care

"This research scan found that about 1–2% of primary care consultations may include adverse events, with the most common errors relating to medication and communication."


Evidence scan: levels of harm in primary care
The Health Foundation
November 2011

Read more here.

Management roles in innovative technology implementation: a healthcare perspective

"In a healthcare empirical context, we show that lack of top management vision and coordination leads to local units that are excessively autonomous in some respects, hindering knowledge and information transfer within the organisation."

Management roles in innovative technology implementation: a healthcare perspective
Centre for Strategic Innovation Research Electronic Working Paper Series: Paper no. 2012/2
Blekinge Institute of Technology, Karlskrona, Sweden
2012

Read more here.

Personalised medicine in European hospitals

"Personalised medicine aims to provide the timely, precise, personalised diagnosis and treatment of patients, with a particular emphasis on wellness and disease prevention."

Personalised medicine in European hospitals
Price Waterhouse Cooper, European Hospital and Healthcare Federation (HOPE)
February 2012

Read more here.

Effective pathways for long term conditions

"There is a need to shift from an organisational model of delivery to a pathway approach which focuses on the needs of individual patients."

Effective pathways for long term conditions
NHS Improvement
April 2012

Read more here.

Developing and validating disease management evaluation methods for European healthcare systems

"We reviewed the policy context for, and approaches to, chronic disease management in 13 European countries."

DISMEVAL: Developing and validating disease management evaluation methods for European healthcare systems: final report
E Nolte, S Hinrichs
RAND Europe
April 2012

Read more here.

An accompanying document for users and funders is available here.

Get e-QIPP-ed for neurology

"This booklet illustrates examples of innovative service delivery, prevention of unnecessary interventions, and initiatives that simultaneously improve service efficiency and cost effectiveness alongside quality of patient care."

Get e-QIPP-ed for neurology: positive practice in service redesign
Neurological Commissioning Support Limited
March 2012

Read more here.

Weekend admission to hospital has a higher risk of death in the elective setting than in the emergency setting

"Weekend admission appears to be an independent risk factor for dying in hospital and this risk is more pronounced in the elective setting."

Weekend admission to hospital has a higher risk of death in the elective setting than in the emergency setting: A retrospective database study of national health service hospitals in England
MA Mohammed, KS Sidhu, G Rudge, AJ Stevens
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:87

Read more here.

Productivity of the English National Health Service 2003-4 to 2009-10

"Over the full period considered we find that increases in inputs have been matched closely by increases in output."

Productivity of the English National Health Service 2003-4 to 2009-10: CHE Research Paper 76
C Bojke, A Castelli, R Goudie, A Street, P Ward
Centre for Health Economics
University of York
March 2012

Read more here.

Reducing prescribing errors

"The scan provides a rapid collation of empirical research about initiatives to reduce prescribing errors."

Evidence scan: reducing prescribing errors
Health Foundation
March 2012

Read more here.

Uncovering middle managers' role in healthcare innovation implementation

"Because middle managers oversee these team initiatives, their potential to influence innovation implementation has grown."

Uncovering middle managers' role in healthcare innovation implementation
SA Birken, S-Y Daniel Lee, BJ Weiner
Implementation Science, 2012, 7:28

Read more here.

NHS Performance Framework: implementation guidance

"The NHS Performance Framework sets out the Department's approach to identifying underperforming NHS organisations and stipulates when intervention should occur in such organisations."

NHS Performance Framework: implementation guidance
Department of Health
April 2012

Read the full document here together with accompanying documents.

Caring for our future: what service users say

"The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) commissioned this paper as part of its programme on paying for long-term care, which aims to influence the funding and creation of a better system for adult social care in the UK."

Caring for our future: what service users say
P Beresford, E Andrews
Joseph Rowntree Foundation
March 2012
Read more here.

Cholecystectomy services redesign: reducing length of stay in hospital

"The benefit of reducing the length of stay by 1 day for patients undergoing laparascopic cholecystectomy saves more than 17,000 bed days across the NHS."

Cholecystectomy services redesign: reducing length of stay in hospital
NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement
March 2012

Read more here.

Improving safety in maternity services

Improving safety in maternity services: a toolkit for teams, has been developed by Vinice Thomas and Anna Dixon at The King's Fund, and is organised around five key areas for improvement in maternity care on which the teams focused:

• teamworking
• communication
• training
• information and guidance
• staffing and leadership

Infection: prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections in primary and community care

"Patient safety has become a cornerstone of care, and preventing healthcare-associated infections remains a priority."

Infection: prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections in primary and community care
NICE clinical guideline 139
March 2012

Read more here.