Improving physical health for people taking antipsychotic medication

"The combination of interventions has created an improvement in monitoring and changes appear to be sustained throughout the project." 

Improving physical health for people taking antipsychotic medication in the Community Learning Disabilities Service
I Hall, A Shah
BMJ Quality Improvement Report 2016;5: doi:10.1136/bmjquality.u209539.w3933

Read more here.

Hypoglycaemia monitoring in a medical receiving ward

"The study successfully demonstrated that simple measures can significantly improve the quality care of inpatient diabetic patients in relation to hypoglycaemia management."

Hypoglycaemia monitoring in a medical receiving ward
R Ellis
BMJ Quality Improvement Reports 2015;4: doi:10.1136/bmjquality.u207104.w2859


Read more here.

Improving fluid balance monitoring on the wards

"This study highlighted that understanding and use of fluid balance monitoring can be improved for nurses, health care assistants (HCAs), and doctors. These improvements allow better documentation and safer patient care."

Improving fluid balance monitoring on the wards
S Jeyapala, A Gerth, A Patel, N Syed
BMJ Quality Improvement Reports 2015;4: doi:10.1136/bmjquality.u209890.w4102

Read more here.

Closer to critical? QualityWatch annual statement 2015

"Our third annual statement, Closer to critical?, aims to help policy-makers, healthcare leaders, patient groups and others make sense of quality across health and social care, primarily in England. We observe that while there are many areas of excellent care, there are also increasingly clear signals that in some areas quality is deteriorating."

Closer to critical? QualityWatch annual statement 2015
The Health Foundation, Nuffield Trust
November 2015

Read more here.

Monitoring of physical health parameters on a child and adolescent mental health unit receiving antipsychotic therapy

"In the adolescent unit, we identified a significant lack of physical health monitoring in this high risk age group. A single paged prompt sheet has been shown to significantly improve physical health monitoring in the majority of parameters."

Monitoring of physical health parameters for inpatients on a child and adolescent mental health unit receiving regular antipsychotic therapy
N Pasha, S Saeed, K Drewek
BMJ Quality Improvement Reports 2015;4: doi:10.1136/bmjquality.u202645.w3700

Read more here.

Impact of introducing an electronic physiological surveillance system on hospital mortality

"The use of technology specifically designed to improve the accuracy, reliability and availability of patients’ vital signs and early warning scores, and thereby the recognition of and response to patient deterioration, is associated with reduced mortality in this study."

Impact of introducing an electronic physiological surveillance system on hospital mortality
PE Schmidt et al.
BMJ Quality & Safety 2015;24:10-20 doi:10.1136/bmjqs-2014-003073

Read more here.

Quantification of the Hawthorne effect in hand hygiene compliance monitoring

"Hand hygiene event rates were approximately threefold higher in hallways within eyesight of an auditor compared with when no auditor was visible and the increase occurred after the auditors’ arrival. This is consistent with the existence of a Hawthorne effect localised to areas where the auditor is visible and calls into question the accuracy of publicly reported hospital hand hygiene compliance rates."

Quantification of the Hawthorne effect in hand hygiene compliance monitoring using an electronic monitoring system: a retrospective cohort study
JA Srigley, CD Furness, GR Baker, M Gardam
BMJ Quality and Safety 2014;23:974-980 doi:10.1136/bmjqs-2014-003080

Read more here.

Safety measurement and monitoring in healthcare

"This paper summarises the findings of a more extensive report and proposes a framework which can guide clinical teams and healthcare organisations in the measurement and monitoring of safety and in reviewing progress against safety objectives."

Safety measurement and monitoring in healthcare: a framework to guide clinical teams and healthcare organisations in maintaining safety
C Vincent, S Burnett, J Carthey

BMJ Quality and Safety, 2014; 23: 670–677

Read more here.

QualityWatch

"Our programme [QualityWatch] will aim to provide an independent picture of the quality of care and, in so doing, both augment and inform the work of other statutory national bodies and initiatives.

More specifically, we will: 

• provide an authoritative resource on the overall quality of health and social care; 
• monitor and comment on changes over time, independently of government and the statutory bodies; 
• highlight where there are clear and compelling gaps between what is being achieved and what is possible in order to incite action and improvement; 
• and contribute to improving measures of quality."

Read more here.

A framework for measuring and monitoring safety

"The measurement of past harm will always be a cornerstone to understanding safety. Measures need to be specific and tracked over time to help to assess whether care in a particular area, and overall, is becoming safer."

A framework for measuring and monitoring safety: A practical guide to using a new framework for measuring and monitoring safety in the NHS

The Health Foundation

April 2014

Read more here.

Commissioning in adult social care

Between May 2013 and February 2014 the Local Government Information Unit worked in partnership with home care provider Mears to deliver a series of roundtables for the Adult Social Care Thought Leader Series, including those on:

• Market Management
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Personalisation and Co-Production
• Integration
• Workforce Issues

This document brings together the notes from the series.

Commissioning in adult social care: the LGiO and Mears thought leader series - a summary
Local Government Information Unit, Mears
April 2014

Read more here.

Identifying key vulnerable groups in data collections

"Our report, Hidden Needs, is about making the invisible visible. It demonstrates the yawning gaps in data, information analysis and research in four of the most vulnerable populations in society." 

Hidden needs: Identifying key vulnerable groups in data collections: Vulnerable migrants, gypsies and travellers, homeless people, and sex workers 
PJ Aspinall
Centre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent
March 2014

Read more here.

How is the health and social care system performing?

"The Quarterly monitoring report combines publicly available data on selected NHS performance measures with views from NHS trust finance directors, clinical commissioning group (CCG) finance leads, and local authority directors of adult social services."

How is the health and social care system performing? Quarterly monitoring report
The King's Fund
January 2014

Read more here.

Taking safety on board: the board's role in patient safety

"The paper looks at three main areas: the board’s core roles in relation to patient safety; how boards might deliver these roles; and the optimal relationship between board leadership, clinical leadership and regulatory oversight."

Taking safety on board: the board's role in patient safety
A Fresko, S Rubenstein
The Health Foundation
October 2013

Read more here.

Identifying risks and monitoring safety: the role of patients and citizens

"The paper discusses opportunities for patients, their families and carers, as well as the wider public, to become part of an integrated system for ensuring the safety of care."

Identifying risks and monitoring safety: the role of patients and citizens
J O'Hara, R Isden
The Health Foundation
October 2013

Read more here.

Measuring and monitoring safety: an acute care perspective

"This thought paper offers reflections on the measurement and monitoring of safety from the perspective of a practising clinician based at a busy district general hospital."

Measuring and monitoring safety: an acute care perspective
C Peden
The Health Foundation
October 2013

Read more here.

Measuring and monitoring safety: a primary care perspective

"This thought paper considers the differences between primary care and other settings and explains that a variety of factors mean that assessing harm and safety in primary care remains a challenge."

Measuring and monitoring safety: a primary care perspective
A Esmail
The Health Foundation
October 2013

Read more here.

Asymmetry of influence: the role of regulators in patient safety

"By working together to create conditions which promote engagement with professional responsibility and identity, regulators can create a consistent regulatory system within which safe care can flourish."

Asymmetry of influence: the role of regulators in patient safety
D Bilton, H Cayton
The Health Foundation
October 2013

Read more here.

Measuring harm

"This was the third in a series of roundtable discussions looking at potential future improvements in patient
safety involving a broad approach which:

• incorporates greater involvement of patients and citizens in their own safety and the safer design of services
• measures and monitors the multiple dimensions that make up a safety culture
• develops ‘leading’ (before the event) as well as ‘lagging’ (after the event) performance measures to more 
• accurately assess the current experience of people using healthcare services."

Measuring harm: a summary of learning from a Health Foundation roundtable
The Health Foundation
October 2013

Read more here.

Performance-based financing as a health system reform

"The paper lays out a broad framework within which indicators can be prioritised for monitoring and evaluation of performance-based financing or other health system reforms."

Performance-based financing as a health system reform: mapping the key dimensions for monitoring and evaluation
S Witter, J Toonen, B Meessen, J Kagubare, G Fritsche, K Vaughan
BMC Health Services Research 2013, 13:367

Read more here.