Evaluation of the physician quality improvement initiative

The PQII provides an opportunity for physician development, affirmation and reflection, but also a structure to further departmental quality improvement, best practices, and finally, an opportunity to enhance communication, accountability and relationships between the organization, department chiefs and their staff.

Evaluation of the physician quality improvement initiative: the expected and unexpected opportunities
K Wentlandt, A Bracaglia, J Drummond, L Handren, J McCann, C Clarke, N Degendorfer, CK Chan
BMC Medical Education 201515:230

Read more here.

Exploring CQC’s well-led domain: How can boards ensure a positive organisational culture?

"The paper has been written as a practical guide for board members in strengthening leadership and culture and in preparing for CQC inspections."

Exploring CQC’s well-led domain: How can boards ensure a positive organisational culture?
K Steward
The King's Fund
November 2014

Read more here.

Measuring success in health care value-based purchasing programs

"Based on the findings from the environmental scan, literature review, and technical expert panels discussions, we provide a set of recommendations for consideration that could serve to advance the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of value based purchasing programs to generate critically needed knowledge to guide policy making."

Measuring success in health care value-based purchasing programs: summary and recommendations
CL Damberg, ME Sorbero, SL Lovejoy, G Martsolf, L Raaen, D Mandel
RAND Corporation

Read more here.

Prioritising health service innovation investments using public preferences

"Discrete choice approaches can help policy makers, those designing innovations, and decision-makers in health services make more of the public’s views on how services invest their money."

Prioritising health service innovation investments using public preferences: a discrete choice experiment
S Erdem, C Thompson
BMC Health Services Research 2014, 14:360

Read more here.

NHS National Tariff Payment System 2015/16 consultation

"Monitor and NHS England’s long-term aim is to develop a transparent, flexible and accountable NHS payment system that rewards good-quality, efficient care that delivers the best possible outcomes for patients.

The proposed changes to the 2015/16 National Tariff Payment System are designed to help maintain financial discipline while promoting quality high-quality care for patients in tough economic conditions.

Healthcare providers and commissioners are encouraged to respond to these proposals in order to influence the final national tariff which will be published later in the year."
Access the consultation documents here.

Local Authority health scrutiny

"The primary aim of health scrutiny is to strengthen the voice of local people, ensuring that their needs and experiences are considered as an integral part of the commissioning and delivery of health services and that those services are effective and safe." 

Local Authority health scrutiny: guidance to support Local Authorities and their 
partners to deliver effective health scrutiny
Department of Health
June 2014

Read more here.

The open data era in health and social care

"This report examines the current literature, drawing on case studies and published research to highlight the following value propositions for using more open data in healthcare:

• Accountability
• Choice
• Efficiency
• Outcomes
• Patient satisfaction and customer service
•  Economic growth and innovation"

The open data era in health and social care
S Verhulst, BS Noveck, R Caplan, K Brown, C Paz
The Governance Lab
May 2014

Read more here.

A guide to nursing, midwifery and care staffing capacity and capability

"Nursing, midwifery and care staff, working as part of wider multidisciplinary teams, play a critical role in securing high quality care and excellent outcomes for patients. There are established and evidenced links between patient outcomes and whether organisations have the right people, with the right skills, in the right place at the right time." 

How to ensure the right people, with the right skills, are in the right place at the right time: A guide to nursing, midwifery and care staffing capacity and capability
NHS England
November 2013

Read more here. 

Accountable care organisations: Testing, evaluating and learning what works

"Now more than ever the NHS needs to be able to innovate at scale and pace and testing out a variety of ways of integrating care should be encouraged."

Accountable care organisations in the United States and England: Testing, evaluating and learning what works
Stephen Shortell, Rachael Addicott, Nicola Walsh, Chris Ham
The King's Fund
March 2014

Read more here.

Hard truths: essential actions

"The focus on measuring safety is welcome, but measures should be developed to assess the future risk of harm, not just the occurrence of past harm."

Hard truths: essential actions
The Health Foundation
December 2013

Read more here.

An exploration of the early development of Clinical Commissioning Groups in the English NHS

"This early study raises some important issues and concerns, including the risk that the different bodies to whom CCGs are accountable will have differing (or conflicting) agendas, and the lack of clarity over the operation of sanction regimes."

Accountable to whom, for what? An exploration of the early development of Clinical Commissioning Groups in the English NHS
K Checkland, P Allen, A Coleman, J Segar, I McDermott, S Harrison, C Petsoulas, S Peckham
BMJ Open, 2013, 3:e003769

Read more here.

Speech: The silent scandal of patient safety

This speech, delivered by The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP on 21st June 2013, describes the issues with patient safety, and what the NHS needs to do to improve:

"Through better measurement and reporting of the extent of harm free care in our hospitals. But most of all, through by creating a new culture which engages and listens better to frontline staff so they help us to design systems that prioritise safety whatever the pressures."

Read the full speech here.

Two different strategies for promoting hand hygiene in hospital nurses

"In summary, with this study we were able to look inside the ‘black box’ of two hand hygiene improvement strategies, to generate insights into which strategy components are effective."

Explaining the effects of two different strategies for promoting hand hygiene in hospital nurses: a process evaluation alongside a cluster randomised controlled trial
A Huis, G Holleman, T van Acterberg, R Grol, L Schoonhoven, M Hulscher
Implementation Science, 2013, 8:41

Read more here.

Patients first and foremost

"This response to the shocking findings of the Inquiry sets out a  five point plan to revolutionise the care that people receive from our NHS, putting an end to failure and issuing a call for excellence: 
A. Preventing problems 
B. Detecting problems quickly 
C. Taking action promptly 
D. Ensuring robust accountability 
E. Ensuring staff are trained and motivated"

Patients first and foremost: the initial Government response to the report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry
Department of Health
March 2013

Read more here.

Rating providers for quality

"Our analysis suggests that there is a clear gap in the provision of clearly presented, comprehensive and trusted information on the quality of care of providers which might properly inform the public and users about the quality of care, as well as improve the accountability of providers to the public."

Rating providers for quality: a policy worth pursuing?
Nuffield Trust
March 2013

Read the full report here or the summary here.

Safeguarding vulnerable people in the reformed NHS

"Organisations need to promote a culture where staff feel able to raise concerns and whistleblow without fear and that there is an understanding of the need for staff support to achieve effective outcomes for vulnerable people."

Safeguarding vulnerable people in the reformed NHS: accountability and assurance framework
NHS Commissioning Board
March 2013

Read more here.

Lessons from Europe: provider governance

"This Briefing outlines key insights from a Lessons from Europe seminar that examined the impact of recent reforms in hospital governance in Spain and the Netherlands."

Lessons from Europe: provider governance
NHS European Office
February 2013

Read more here.

Making it better? Assuring high-quality care in the NHS

"Evidence from high-quality healthcare organisations across the world demonstrates the importance of organisational culture in ensuring the delivery of high-quality, patient-centred care."

Making it better? Assuring high-quality care in the NHS
NHS Confederation
February 2013

Read more here.

Reducing unnecessary hospital days to improve quality of care through physician accountability

"Results indicate that a strategy, involving physician direct accountability, can reduce unnecessary hospital days."

Reducing unnecessary hospital days to improve quality of care through physician accountability: a cluster randomised trial
C Caminiti, et al.
BMC Health Services Research, 2013, 13:14

Read more here.

The accountable lead provider

"The Accountable Lead Provider is not a commissioner, it is a provider, an integrator and programme manager, a provider that both provides and subcontracts healthcare."

The accountable lead provider
P Corrigan, S Laitner
NHS Right Care
July 2012

Read more here.