Commissioning for Value Focus Packs

"These focus packs provide more detailed information on those highest spending programmes previously covered by the earlier Commissioning for Value packs. The areas covered are: cancer; the CVD family of conditions including renal, stroke and diabetes; maternity and early years; mental health and dementia; musculoskeletal and trauma; neurology; and respiratory. The packs include a wider range of outcome measures and information on the most common procedures and diagnoses for the condition in question. They help CCGs begin work on phase two of the RightCare approach ‘What to Change’ by using indicative data to identify improvement opportunities."

There are two Commissioning for Value focus packs available for each CCG:

• Cancer, Mental health and dementia, MSK and trauma – May 2016
• CVD, Neurological, Respiratory, Maternity – April 2016

Find out more and access the packs here.

A perfect storm: an impossible climate for NHS providers’ finances?

" The failure to spread good practice is not a result of those in the NHS wilfully ignoring the opportunities to improve. Rather it reflects the inherent challenges of transforming a service as complex as health care."

A perfect storm: an impossible climate for NHS providers’ finances? 
S Lafond, A Charlesworth, A Roberts
The Health Foundation
March 2016

Read more here.

New Commissioning for Value packs

"The information in the packs will be of particular interest to CCG clinical and management leads with responsibility for finance, performance, improvement and health outcomes; to NHS England regional team leads; and to commissioning support teams who are helping CCGs with this work."

Commissioning for Value – comprehensive data packs to support CCGs and NHS England in the regions
NHS England
January 2016

Access the packs here.

The Health Foundation: November Research Scan

The Health Foundation have released their November research scan summarising the latest research of interest to those working in healthcare quality improvement. The scan covers the themes of person-centred care, patient safety, value for money and improvement approaches.

Cost and risk management in critical care: reducing the use of colloids

"In the past, colloid fluid therapy was used as the primary resuscitation fluid in critically ill people. Increasing evidence ... suggests that crystalloid fluids are equivalent in effectiveness and cost considerably less. This project aimed to reduce colloid use by removing them from the clinical area and making them available by consultant prescription only."

Cost and risk management in critical care: reducing the use of colloids
City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust

NICE Quality and Productivity case study

November 2015

Read more here. 

Tobacco return on investment tool

"The tool evaluates a portfolio of tobacco control interventions and models the economic returns that can be expected in different payback timescales. Different interventions, including pharmacotherapies and support and advice, can be mixed and matched to see which intervention portfolio or package provides the best 'value for money', compared with 'no-services' or any other specified package."

Tobacco return on investment tool

NICE

August 2015

Read more here. 

Breast Cancer Screening, Incidence, and Mortality Across US Counties

"Our analysis shows that, when directed toward the general US population, the most prominent effect of screening mammography is overdiagnosis. Nonetheless, we do not believe that the right rate of screening mammography is zero. As is the case with screening in general, the balance of benefits and harms is likely to be most favorable when screening is directed to those at high risk, provided neither too frequently nor too rarely, and sometimes followed by watchful waiting instead of immediate active treatment."

Breast Cancer Screening, Incidence, and Mortality Across US Counties
C Harding, F Pompei, D Burmistrov, HG Welch, R Abebe, R Wilson
JAMA Intern Med. Published online July 06, 2015. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.3043

Read more here.

Better value in the NHS

"In a time of severe financial constraint, the NHS is being asked to make productivity savings of £22 billion by 2020/21. However, this report argues that, rather than looking at efficiency and costs, the NHS should be focusing on getting better value from its budget."

Better value in the NHS: The role of changes in clinical practice
H Alderwick, R Robertson, J Appleby, P Dunn, D Maguire
The King's Fund
July 2015

Read more here.

A Right Care Collaboration 2015/19: Forward View

"During 2015/16, NHS Right Care will scale up its activities and will seek to develop partnerships across the major NHS bodies to develop a variations and value programme." 

A Right Care Collaboration 2015/19: Forward View
NHS Right Care
June 2015

Read more here.

Specialised commissioning: Are we getting best value from £14.5bn?

"Specialised commissioning costs the NHS billions each year. HSJ gathered experts to tackle some difficult questions, not least over the balance between central and local involvement."

Specialised commissioning: Are we getting best value from £14.5bn?
A Moore
Health Service Journal Supplement
June 2015

Read more here.

A New Priority for Mental Health

"The IAPT programme costs commissioners nothing. This is because people with depression and anxiety disorders cost the NHS a huge amount in terms of their physical healthcare. Thus people with long-term physical conditions cost the NHS around £6,000 per year in physical healthcare if they are mentally ill, but only £4,000 if they are not mentally ill. This difference of £2,000 compares with the cost per person treated in IAPT of around £650 – a one-off cost. "

A New Priority for Mental Health
R Layard
Centre for Economic Performance
London School of Economics and Political Science
May 2015

Read more here.

Direct costs of radiotherapy for rectal cancer

"Traditional radiotherapy for rectal cancer is relatively inexpensive. Moreover, significant savings may be achievable through service organization and provision changes. These results suggest that a strong economic argument can be made for expanding the use of radiotherapy in rectal cancer treatment."

Direct costs of radiotherapy for rectal cancer: a microcosting study

P Hanly, A Ó Céilleachair, M Skally, C O’Neill, L Sharp
BMC Health Services Research 2015, 15:184  doi:10.1186/s12913-015-0845-9

Read more here.

Using clinical practice variations as a method for commissioners and clinicians to identify and prioritise opportunities for disinvestment

"We aimed to explore if geographical variation in procedure rates is a marker of clinical uncertainty and might be used by local commissioners to identify procedures that are potential candidates for disinvestment."

Using clinical practice variations as a method for commissioners and clinicians to identify and prioritise opportunities for disinvestment in health care: a cross-sectional study, systematic reviews and qualitative study
W Hollingworth et al.
Health Services Delivery and Research, 3(13), April 2015

Read more here.

NHS England Business Plan

"For 2015/16 NHS England will focus on ten priorities to both improve quality and services, to drive better value for money, and to build the foundations for the future health and care system."

Building the NHS of the Five Year Forward View: NHS England Business Plan 2015/16
NHS England,Transformation & Corporate Operations, Business Planning Team
March 2015

Read more here.

Costs of perinatal mental health problems

"Because the costs of perinatal mental health problems indicate the potential benefits of intervention, even a relatively modest improvement in outcomes as a result of better services would be sufficient to justify the additional spending on value for money grounds"

Costs of perinatal mental health problems
A Bauer, M Parsonage, M Knapp, V Iemmi, B Adelaja
London School of Economics and Political Science, Centre for Mental Health
October 2014

Read more here.

Personalised health and care 2020

"Better use of data and technology has the power to improve health, transform the quality and reduce the cost of health and care services."

Personalised health and care 2020: Using Data and Technology to Transform 
Outcomes for Patients and Citizens - A Framework for Action 
National Information Board
November 2014

Read more here.

Planning for the Better Care Fund

"The Better Care Fund is an innovative idea for joining-up care services locally for the benefit of patients. However, the quality of early planning and preparations did not match the scale of ambition."

Planning for the Better Care Fund
National Audit Office
November 2014

Read more here.

Delivering High Value Care Pathways

"In this scenario we examine a typical long term condition pathway, comparing a sub-optimal but typical scenario against an ideal pathway. At each stage we have modelled the costs of care, both financial to the commissioner but also the impact and cost on the patient, family and their contribution to society. We show how the Right Care methodology can help clinicians and commissioners to improve the value of the care pathway."

Delivering High Value Care Pathways – Paul Adams – a commissioning scenario
A typical Long-Term Conditions story and how the NHS Right Care approach can help to achieve better value
NHS Right Care
August 2014

Read more here.

NICE Tobacco return on investment tool

"The NICE tobacco return on investment tool has been developed to help decision making in tobacco control at local and sub-national levels."

Tobacco return on investment tool
Public Health ROI Tool
NICE
September 2014

Access the tool and all the resources here.

NICE Alcohol return on investment tool

"The alcohol use return on investment tool has been developed to help decision making on interventions and strategies to prevent and reduce alcohol use at local and sub-national levels."

Alcohol return on investment tool

Public Health ROI Tool

NICE

September 2014

Access the tool and all the resources here.