The state of maternity services in England

"Improving people’s experiences of maternity care therefore requires providers to hear and respond to user feedback, and to ensure that staff feel supported to provide the best quality care."

The state of maternity services in England: Policy briefing
G Paparella
Picker Institute
July 2016

Read more here.

Under the scan: patients’ views of X-rays and scans in the UK

"The survey findings highlight the current lack of capacity in UK radiology services to deliver X-ray and scan results for all patients within 28 days."

Under the scan: patients’ views of X-rays and scans in the UK

The Patients Association and The Royal College of Radiologists

August 2016

Read more here. 

Talk Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation Project

"The aim of this project, entitled ‘TalkCPR’, is to improve communication and dialogue between patients and their healthcare professionals about Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions."

Talk Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation Project
Velindre NHS Trust
NICE Shared Learning example

May 2016

Read more here. 

Sleep deprivation and starvation in hospitalised patients

"In our personal experience as surgeons at a busy tertiary hospital, the goal of avoiding unnecessary malnutrition and sleep deprivation in our patients has all too often been forgotten or prioritised far behind other more technical goals of surgical care. But keeping a patient strong and rested is a critical goal towards the same end."

Sleep deprivation and starvation in hospitalised patients: how medical care can harm patients
T Xu, C Wick, MA Makary
BMJ Qual Saf 2016;25:311-314 doi:10.1136/bmjqs-2015-004395

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Delays and interruptions in the acute medical unit clerking process

"Interruptions and delays regularly occurred during the admission process in the study hospital which impacts adversely on patient experience and compliance with the recommended 4-h timeframe, further work is required to assess the impact on patient safety. Data obtained from this observational study were used to guide operational changes to improve the process."


Delays and interruptions in the acute medical unit clerking process: an observational study
AJ Basey, TD Kennedy, AJ Mackridge, J Krska
JRSM Open February 2016 vol. 7 no. 2 2054270415619323

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Routine failures in the process for blood testing and the communication of results to patients in primary care in the UK

"A number of potential failures in testing and communicating results to patients were identified, and some specific ideas for improving existing systems emerged. These included same-day phlebotomy sessions, use of modern technology methods to proactively communicate routine results and targeted training for receptionists handling sensitive data."

Routine failures in the process for blood testing and the communication of results to patients in primary care in the UK: a qualitative exploration of patient and provider perspectives
I Litchfield, L Bentham, A Hill, RJ McManus, R Lilford, S Greenfield
BMJ Quality and Safety 2015;24:681-690 doi:10.1136/bmjqs-2014-003690

Read more here.

Using Incentives To Improve Experience In Maternity, Children And Young People's Services

"The report will discuss three core recommendations, each with a number of sub-recommendations to support local, regional and national discussions on how CQUINs and other financial incentive schemes can be used to improve the quality and effectiveness of maternity, children and young people’s services." 

Using Incentives To Improve Experience In Maternity, Children And Young People's Services
P Kumalo, M Cunnington
NHS South East CSU
July 2015

Read more here.

Home administration of intravenous diuretics to heart failure patients

"Originally a 2-year pilot programme to assess safe and effective ways for specialist nursing teams to administer intravenous (IV) diuretics to people at home or in a day-care setting, preventing hospital admissions and improving patient experience. Without this service patients would be admitted to hospital to receive IV diuretics."

Home administration of intravenous diuretics to heart failure patients: Increasing productivity and improving quality of care
Quality and Productivity case study
British Heart Foundation
June 2015

Read more here.

Services for people with neurological conditions: progress review

"Part One of this report sets out a range of data on the quality of neurological services since we reported in 2011, including waiting times and emergency admissions."

Services for people with neurological conditions: progress review
Department of Health and NHS England
National Audit Office
July 2015

Read more here.

Making Sense and Making Use of Patient Experience Data

"The report raises important questions. Is the collection, analysis and reporting of data on patient experience being done by people with the right skills and knowledge to do this work? Are these activities merged with responsibilities for reporting on activity and clinical quality, or are they carried out separately?"

Making Sense and Making Use of Patient Experience Data
Membership Engagement Services’, InHealth Associates
June 2015

Read more here.

Understanding staff perspectives of quality in practice in healthcare

"Quality in everyday practice relies upon staff values, motivations and behaviours and how staff interact with patients, putting both explicit and tacit knowledge into specific action."

Understanding staff perspectives of quality in practice in healthcare
M Farr, P Cressey
BMC Health Services Research 2015, 15:123  doi:10.1186/s12913-015-0788-1

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Multiple sclerosis outpatient future groups: improving the quality of service improvement activities

"The Multiple Sclerosis Outpatient Future Group study aimed to explore how analogies and props can be used to facilitate rich interactions between staff and patients within these activities. This paper will consider how these interactions supported participants to share experiences, generate ideas and suggest service improvements."

Multiple sclerosis outpatient future groups: improving the quality of participant interaction and ideation tools within service improvement activities
A Thomson, C Rivas, G Giovannoni
BMC Health Services Research 2015, 15:105  doi:10.1186/s12913-015-0773-8

Read more here.

To reduce the average length of stay of patients who are admitted for DA-EPOCH-R chemotherapy regimen

"A quality improvement project was initiated to review and revise the workflow and processes involved for the entire episode of treatment. A post-implementation review of the interventions showed cost savings, a reduction of average length of stay from seven days to six days (with a total of 28 days saved over six months), and improved patient and staff experience."

To reduce the average length of stay of patients who are admitted for DA-EPOCH-R chemotherapy regimen
Y M Lee
BMJ Quality Improvement Reports 2015;4: doi:10.1136/bmjquality.u208379.w3434

Read more here.

Toolkit to support NHS commissioners to reduce poor experience of in-patient care

"This toolkit has been developed to support NHS commissioners to work collaboratively with patients, carers and NHS provider organisations to reduce poor experiences of in-patient care."

Toolkit to support NHS commissioners to reduce poor experience of in-patient care
NHS England
March 2015

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The NHS under the coalition government: NHS performance

"Our verdict overall is that NHS performance held up well for the first three years of the parliament but has now slipped, with waiting times at their highest levels for many years and an unprecedented number of hospitals reporting deficits. "

The NHS under the coalition government: Part two: NHS performance
J Appleby, B Baird, J Thompson, J Jabbal
The King's Fund
March 2015

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New care models explained: How the NHS can successfully integrate care

"Multispecialty community providers (or MCPs) and the primary and acute care services (or PACS) are new types of delivery models, integrating hitherto relatively poorly coordinated care providers into new and efficient organisations or alliances capable of delivering on the “triple aim” – a better patient experience, better population health and more efficient use of resources."

New care models explained: How the NHS can successfully integrate care
R Lewis
Health Service Journal
March 2015

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How five UK trusts built quality improvement capability at scale within their organisations

"The report provides an insight into how and why the trusts embarked on their improvement journeys; the steps they took at each stage; the impact they achieved; and the challenges they encountered along the way." 

Building the foundations for improvement: How five UK trusts built quality improvement capability at scale within their organisations
B Jones, T Woodhead
The Health Foundation
February 2015

Read more here.

Is the NHS becoming more person-centred?

"This overview examines how the NHS in England has performed over this parliament in relation to indicators that reflect person-centred care. We consider a range of measures including: dignity, respect and compassion; patient involvement in decisions; support for self-management and care planning."

Is the NHS becoming more person-centred?
S Wood, A Collins, A Taylor
The Health Foundation
March 2015

Read more here.

A tool to improve communication in the neonatal unit

"We sought to assess whether the implementation of a baby diary used as a communication tool would improve parent-staff communication and optimise the parental experience of neonatal care."

A tool to improve communication in the neonatal unit
M van de Vijver, M Evans
BMJ Quality Improvement Reports 2015;4: doi:10.1136/bmjquality.u203180.w3084

Read more here.

Mobile clinics for chronic stable glaucoma management

"This initiative aims to improve productivity by reducing demand for appointments from low risk patients in hospital eye clinics, allowing the hospital to see more complex cases. The patient experience should improve because the number of appointments required for testing is reduced and the clinic is brought to locations nearer patients’ homes."

Mobile clinics for chronic stable glaucoma management: improving access and alleviating hospital demand
Ipswich and East Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group and Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust
NICE Quality and Productivity example
January 2015

Read more here.