NICE COPD quality standard

This NICE quality standard defines clinical best practice for assessment, diagnosis and clinical management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults. It provides specific, concise quality statements, measures and audience descriptors to provide patients and the public, health and social care professionals, commissioners and service providers with definitions of high-quality care. It is based on current NICE guidance and is consistent with the Outcomes Strategy for the areas it covers.

COPD: quality standard
NICE
28 July 2011

Download the full text here (PDF, 249 KB)

Making Shared Decision-making a Reality

Report published by the King's Fund, clarifying the concept of shared decision-making and proposing actions needed to make the aspiration a reality.

Making Shared Decision-making a Reality: No Decision About Me, Without Me
Angela Coulter, Alf Collins
King's Fund
July 2011

Download the full text here (PDF, 790 KB)

Getting out of hospital? The evidence for shifting acute inpatient and day case services from hospitals into the community

This report examines and updates the review of evidence of underpinning the policy drive to transfer acute inpatient and day-case services from hospitals into the community and the effectiveness of this to improve quality of care and save money.

Getting out of hospital?
The Health Foundation
June 2011

Download the full text here (PDF).

Do clinical guidelines reduce clinician dependent costs?

Freely available journal article reviewing and summarising recent evidence, relevant to both developed and developing countries on whether evidence based clinical guidelines can change hospitals variable costs which are clinician dependent, and the degree of financial savings achieved at hospital level.

Do clinical guidelines reduce clinician dependent costs?
George Kosimbei , Kara Hanson  and Mike English
Health Research Policy and Systems 2011, 9:24doi:10.1186/1478-4505-9-24

Download the full article here.

The Health and Social Care Bill: where next?

Briefing from the Nuffield Trust providing the Nuffield Trust response to the Government’s NHS ‘listening exercise’, in which Ministers will consider options for reform before the Health and Social Care Bill returns to Parliament.


The Health and Social Care Bill: where next?
Nuffield Trust
May 2011

View summary, listen to briefing and download documentation from the Nuffield Trust website.

Accountability in the NHS: Implications of the Government’s Health Reform Programme

A report from the King’s Fund which seeks to inform the debate around the nature of accountability relationships in the NHS and how these will change under the reforms.


Accountability in the NHS: Implications of the Government’s Health Reform Programme
King's Fund
2011

Download the full report here (PDF)

Are clinicians engaged in quality improvement?

"The active involvement of clinical staff is an essential component of quality improvement, yet systematic improvement initiatives in the NHS have not generally secured the full engagement of clinicians. In 2006, the Health Foundation commissioned a review seeking to clarify what is already known about the views of UK healthcare professionals in this area. This updated review builds on the findings of this earlier review and highlights how clinical engagement in improvement remains a complex, challenging issue."


Evidence: are clinicians engaged in quality improvement?
The Health Foundation
May 2011

Download the full review here (PDF, 970 K)