Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme interactive results maps

"These interactive maps allow you to find information about stroke services for your local provider. You can compare different standards of care within your team, and compare your local provider to other providers and against regional and national averages."

SSNAP clinical audit: interactive results maps
Royal College of Physicians
May 2014

Access the maps here.

Twelve tips for measuring improvement

"Understanding what works to improve health care is vital in order to share and spread success and to ensure we learn from our mistakes. These tips will help you embed effective measurement into your project and avoid some of the pitfalls that lie on the route to successful health care improvement."

Twelve tips for measuring improvement (blog post)

T Woodcock

The Health Foundation

April 2014

Read more here.

Behavior change interventions when implementing multi-professional teamwork at an emergency department

"This study highlights how teamwork can be implemented and suggests that clear Direction (i.e. engaged management that is specific regarding both why and how teamwork should be performed, alignment between teamwork and other processes and initiatives) and allocation of resources for ongoing problem-solving and adaptation are important ingredients for effective implementation of teamwork."

Functions of behavior change interventions when implementing multi-professional teamwork at an emergency department: a comparative case study
M Frykman, H Hasson, ÅM Athlin, U von Thiele Schwarz
BMC Health Services Research, 2014, 14: 218

Read more here.

Focus on: antidepressant prescribing

"These analyses suggest that there is a complex interaction of factors driving the ever-increasing prescribing of antidepressants – acting at individual level, practice level and across broader society."

Focus on: antidepressant prescribing: trends in the prescribing of antidepressants in primary care (Quality Watch)

R Spence, A Roberts, C Ariti, M Bardsley

The Health Foundation, Nuffield Trust

May 2014

Read more here.

Interim guidance: choice of provider in mental health

"This document sets out interim guidance to help commissioners, GPs and providers implement the new (1 April 2014) legal right for patients to choose any clinically appropriate provider of mental health services upon referral for a patient’s first outpatient appointment." 

Interim guidance: Implementing patients’ right to choose any clinically appropriate provider of mental health services

NHS England

May 2014 

Read more here.

Royal Society for Public Health guide to commissioning for health improvement

"This commissioning guide has taken the opportunity to champion ways of commissioning work for local communities that regularise changes in approach and thinking, reflecting different ways of working and a new language of: mutuality, joint decision making, sustainability, creation of social capital and assets, and legacy value."

The RSPH guide to commissioning for health improvement
Royal Society for Public Health

May 2014

Read more here.

Health and Wellbeing Boards & Hepatitis C

"Based on evidence from the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment process, health and wellbeing boards should ensure the local authority public health departments work closely with CCGs to commission testing for at risk groups and, for those diagnosed, coordinated care pathways through to treatment and care."

Health and Wellbeing Boards & Hepatitis C: a review of the evidence from Joint Strategic Needs Assessments and Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategies

HCV Action

May 2014 

 

Read more here.

Well-led framework for governance reviews

"Monitor, CQC and NHS TDA have committed to developing an aligned framework for making judgements about how well led NHS providers are. By ‘well led’ we mean that the leadership, management and governance of the organisation assure the delivery of high quality care for patients, support learning and innovation and promote an open and fair culture." 

Well-led framework for governance reviews: guidance for NHS foundation trusts 
Monitor
May 2014

Read more here.

Supporting people to manage their health

"In the United Kingdom, patient activation has largely been considered in relation to supporting patient involvement in health care. Given the links between low levels of activation and poor outcomes, the role of the Patient Activation Model in addressing health inequalities should be considered further."

Supporting people to manage their health: an introduction to patient activation
J Hibbard, H Gilburt
The King's Fund
May 2014

Read more here.

Developing collective leadership for health care

"Collective leadership cultures are characterised by all staff focusing on continual learning and, through this, on the improvement of patient care. It requires high levels of dialogue, debate and discussion to achieve shared understanding about quality problems and solutions."

Developing collective leadership for health care
M West, K Steward, R Eckert, B Pasmore
The King's Fund, Center for Creative Leadership
May 2014

Read more here.

Culture and leadership in the NHS

"A higher proportion of respondents now believe that the NHS is giving enough priority to quality of care compared with 2013, although these respondents are still the minority. The respondents provided a wealth of examples of how their organisations are developing compassionate care – including collective patient feedback, training and supporting staff."

Culture and leadership in the NHS: The King's Fund survey 2014
The King's Fund
May 2014

Read more here.

Spreading improvement ideas

"This evidence scan summarises empirical research about what works to spread ideas in health care in order to advance improvement."

Spreading improvement ideas: tips from empirical research (evidence scan)
D de Silva
The Health Foundation
May 2014

Read more here.

Measuring quality at a system level

"Quality is being measured and reported across healthcare organizations and sectors, but efforts are rarely made to connect the activity in one organization to quality experienced by patients and clients in another part of the healthcare system. This article describes one regional health organization's journey to measuring health quality at a system level." 

Measuring quality at a system level: an impossible task? the Toronto Central LHIN experience
R Solomon, C Damba, S Bryant
Healthcare Quarterly, 2013, 16(4): 36-42

Read more here.

Using balanced metrics and mixed methods to better understand quality improvement interventions

"Targets for improvement will remain abundant and easily identifiable and QI work will become more complex. As hospitals and healthcare systems refine processes and improve quality—and see mixed results in the outcomes—the awareness of the need for new and valid metrics grows." 

Using balanced metrics and mixed methods to better understand QI interventions
PJ Kaboli, HJ Mosher
BMJ Quality and Safety 2014;23:437-439

Read more here.

Governance of quality of care

"Although health service boards are eager to establish quality of care as a governance priority, several obstacles are blocking progress. The result is a gap between the rhetoric of quality governance and the reality of month-to-month activities at the board level."

Governance of quality of care: a qualitative study of health service boards in Victoria, Australia
MM Bismark, DM Studdert
BMJ Quality and Safety, 2014; 23(6): 474-482

Read more here.

Safely and effectively reducing inpatient length of stay

"While various interventions have been proposed to improve the efficiency and quality of inpatient care, with inconsistent results when rigorously evaluated, the General Internal Medicine Care Transformation Initiative did decrease length of stay for hospitalised GIM patients above and beyond existing secular trends in teaching hospitals without increasing post-discharge adverse events."

Safely and effectively reducing inpatient length of stay: a controlled study of the General Internal Medicine Care Transformation Initiative
FA McAlister, JA Bakal, SR Majumdar, S Dean, RS Padwal, N Kassam, M Bacchus, A Colbourne
BMJ Quality and Safety, 2014; 23: 446-456

Read more here.

Funding schemes for innovative medical devices

"To manage the uncertainty surrounding the reimbursement of innovation, several European countries have set up temporary funding schemes to generate evidence about the effectiveness of devices. This article explores two different French approaches to funding innovative in-hospital devices and collecting supplementary data."

Special funding schemes for innovative medical devices in French hospitals: The pros and cons of two different approaches
N Martellia, H van den Brink
Health Policy, April 2014

Read more here.

Teaching communication skills in clinical settings

"Communication is important for the quality of clinical practice, and programs have been implemented to improve healthcare providers’ communication skills. However, the consistency of programs teaching communication skills has received little attention, and debate exists about the application of acquired skills to real patients."

Teaching communication skills in clinical settings: comparing two applications of a comprehensive program with standardized and real patients
IP Carvalho et al.
BMC Medical Education 2014, 14:92

Read more here.

The second curve of population health

"The tactics described in this guide provide a framework for initiatives that hospitals and care systems could pursue to develop an institutional infrastructure that supports population health. These tactics are:

• Value-based reimbursement
• Seamless care across all settings
• Proactive and systematic patient education
• Workplace competencies and education on population health
• Integrated, comprehensive HIT that supports risk stratification of patients with real-time accessibility
• Mature community partnerships to collaborate on community-based solutions"

The second curve of population health
Health Research & Educational Trust
March 2014

Read more here.

NICE infection prevention and control quality standard

"The quality standard for infection prevention and control specifies that services should be commissioned from and coordinated across all relevant agencies. A person-centred, integrated approach that promotes multi-agency working is fundamental to delivering high-quality care and preventing and controlling infection."

Quality standard: infection prevention and control (QS61)
NICE
April 2014

Read more here.

End of life care profiles for clinical commissioning groups

"These profiles, launched on 28 April 2014, draw together a wide range of information to give an overview of variations in cause and place of death, by age and sex, for each clinical commissioning group (CCG) in England. The profiles will help commissioners and providers of end of life care get a clearer picture of the end of life care needs of their local populations. They will help with the planning and delivery of services and will support drives locally towards improving end of life care."

End of life care profiles for clinical commissioning groups
Public Health England
April 2014

Access the profiles here.

RCS commissioning guide: emergency general surgery

"Emergency General Surgery (EGS), and specifically acute abdominal pain, represents a huge inpatient burden of heterogenous diagnoses. Historically, the care of this group of patients has been underfunded and overlooked and there has been resultant variability in the quality of care provided." 

Commissioning guide: emergency general surgery (acute abdominal pain)
Royal College of Surgeons, Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland
April 2014

Read more here.

RCS commissioning guide: breast reduction surgery

"This guidance relates to patients that present with breast hyperplasia, where breasts are large enough to cause symptoms, infection, pain and adverse effects to quality of life." 

Commissioning guide: breast reduction surgery
Royal College of Surgeons, British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons
May 2014

Read more here.

RCS commissioning guide: general children’s surgery

"Commissioners should aim to build on the successes of existing clinical networks. Where these networks do not exist, commissioners should aim to create them. The south west, North West and the East Midlands have developed a network approach to general paediatric surgery which provides a good reference point."

Commissioning guide: provision of general children’s surgery
Royal College of Surgeons, British Association of Paediatric Surgeons

April 2014 

Read more here.

RCS commissioning guide: temporomandibular joint disorders

"The aim of this guidance is to provide clarity to commissioning organisations as to the services which should be available to patients with TMD. This guidance aims to address problems that have arisen in recent years with regard to over referral to secondary care of patients with simple problems that could be treated in the community and with others who suffer from a post code lottery with regard to funding of more complex procedures." 

Commissioning guide: temporomandibular joint disorders
Royal College of Surgeons
May 2014

Read more here.

Draft for consultation: safe staffing for adult inpatient nursing

"This guideline is primarily for use by NHS provider organisations or others who provide or commission services for NHS patients. It is aimed at healthcare boards, hospital managers, ward managers, healthcare professionals and commissioners. Those responsible and accountable for staffing for nursing in adult inpatient wards in acute hospitals at organisational and at a ward level should take this guideline fully into account when exercising their professional judgement."

Feedback is being sought on this guideline until 6th June 2014.

Safe staffing for nursing in adult inpatient wards in acute hospitals: NICE safe staffing guideline 
Draft for consultation, 12 May to 6 June 2014
May 2014

Read more here.

Professional standards for homecare services in England

"The Royal Pharmaceutical Society Professional Standards for Homecare Services in England aims to ensure that patients experience a consistent quality of homecare services that will protect them from incidences of avoidable harm and help them to get the best outcomes from their medicines"

Handbook for homecare services in England: professional standards
Royal Pharmaceutical Society
May 2014

Read more here.

New medicines, better medicines, better use of medicines

"The Guide ... highlights the major challenges and opportunities faced when creating new medicines, improving existing medicines or ensuring the better, safer use of medicines, and makes recommendations and calls for action."

New medicines, better medicines, better use of medicines: a guide to the science underpinning pharmaceutical practice 
Royal Pharmaceutical Society
May 2014

Read more here.

Power to the people

"Whole-person, joined-up care would undoubtedly improve the patient experience, improve health outcomes and be much more cost-effective."

Power to the people: the mutual future of our National Health Service
M Girach, K Sikora, A Wildman
ResPublica
May 2014

Read more here.

Meeting the challenge: successful employee engagement in the NHS

"Engagement during times of change is vital in order to both inform decision-making and to ensure the buy-in of employees to the process. Through engaging with employees, trust can help unlock their potential for innovation, allowing them to make services safer, more effective and more efficient."

Meeting the challenge: successful employee engagement in the NHS
J Dromey
IPA
April 2014

Read more here.

Patient empowerment: for better quality, more sustainable health services globally

"This report highlights some of the lessons and examples from this increasingly global patient empowerment movement. The primary focus is on the role of individuals in their own healthcare, although overlap with the equally important issues of public involvement in health and empowerment in social care are recognised."

Patient empowerment: for better quality, more sustainable health services globally

All Party Parliamentary Groups on Global Health; HIV/AIDs; Population, Development and Reproductive Health; Global Tuberculosis; and Patient and Public Involvement in Health and Social CareMay 2015

Read more here.

National care of the dying audit for hospitals

"All hospitals should undertake local audit of care of the dying, including the assessment of the views of bereaved relatives, at least annually."

National care of the dying audit for hospitals, England: national report 
Royal College of Physicians, Marie Curie Cancer Care
May 2014

Read more here.

Kidney cancer: survival report

"Kidney cancer survival has improved in males and females. All grades of tumours have shown improvement. Renal cell carcinoma and ‘other’ kidney cancers survival has improved but there has been no change for transitional cell carcinoma."

Kidney cancer: survival report
Urological Cancers SSCRG
National Cancer Intelligence Network

April 2014

Read more here.

Ophthalmology quality standard assessment tools

"The College's Quality Standards Group has updated its suite of simple self-assessment tools for the following clinical services: cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy (England, Wales and Northern Ireland), diabetic retinopathy (Scotland), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), vitreoretinal surgery, oculoplastics,  paediatric services, and for patients with learning disabilities."

Quality Standards
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists

Read more here.

The NHS productivity challenge

"The question therefore is not whether the NHS will run out of money but when, and how this can be avoided. In a context in which organisations with a history of good performance are struggling to cope, there is every prospect that problems that have so far been found in a small number of providers will become much more common." 

The NHS productivity challenge: experience from the front line
John Appleby, Amy Galea, Richard Murray
The King's Fund
May 2014

Read more here.

Report of the Children and Young People’s Health Outcomes Forum

"If we compare ourselves with the country with the lowest mortality for children and young people, Sweden (after controlling for population size among other variables), we find that in the UK every day five children under the age of 14 die who would not die in Sweden."

Report of the Children and Young People’s Health Outcomes Forum 2013/14
I Lewis, C Lenehan
April 2014

Read more here.

Enabling better access to primary care for vulnerable populations

"This short report focuses on models of primary care that are designed to promote registration with and access to good primary and continuing care on an equitable basis."

Promising practice: enabling better access to primary care for vulnerable populations – examples of good local practice
Inclusion Health
April 2014

Read more here.

Developing the right people with the right skills and the right values

"Demonstrating improved value for money will require greater clarity and transparency in relation to the measurement of the quality of education and training programmes and the costs of those programmes."

Delivering high quality, effective, compassionate care: developing the right people with the right skills and the right values. A mandate from the Government to Health Education England: April 2014 to March 2015
Department of Health
April 2014

Read more here.

Prescribed specialised services advisory group: recommendations to ministers

"This report sets out the recommendations that the Prescribed Specialised Services Advisory Group made at its meetings of 3 September 2013 and 17 September 2013 on the services to be directly commissioned by NHS England." 

Prescribed specialised services advisory group: recommendations to ministers 

Department of Health

May 2014

Read more here.

Towards a coherent measurement system to support person-centred care

"Commissioners who want to encourage providers to develop person-centred systems should be commissioning for high quality person-centred processes as well as high quality person-centred outcomes. Given this, there is an argument for us to redefine value as being not outcomes/cost, but quality/cost."

Measuring what really matters: towards a coherent measurement system to support person-centred care
A Collins
The Health Foundation
April 2014

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.

Action to reduce premature avoidable mortality

"Living Well for Longer provides a national road map of the actions we will take across the health spectrum. It also provides complementary ideas for local action with case studies that demonstrate local innovation and good practice, encouraging local areas to learn from the best, and sharing the learning from their own successes." 

Living well for longer: national support for local action to reduce premature avoidable mortality
Department of Health
April 2014

Read more here.

Reducing the need for restrictive interventions

"Wherever possible, people who use services, family carers, advocates and other relevant representatives should be engaged in all aspects of planning their care including how to respond to crisis situations, post-incident debriefings, rigorous reporting arrangements for staff and collation of data regarding the use of restrictive interventions." 

Positive and Proactive Care: reducing the need for restrictive interventions
Social Care, Local Government and Care Partnership Directorate
Department of Health
April 2014

Read more here.

Quality Premium: 2014/15 guidance for CCGs

"The Quality Premium is intended to reward clinical commissioning groups for improvements of the quality of health services they commission and for associated improvements in health outcomes and reducing inequalities."

Quality Premium: 2014/15 guidance for CCGs
NHS England, Commissioning Development, Commissioning Policy and Primary Care
March 2014

Read more here.

Socio-technical allocation of resources

"This Casebook describes a new approach to priority setting called Star (Socio-technical allocation of resources). The approach combines value for money analysis with stakeholder engagement. This allows those planning services to determine how resources can be most effectively invested, while the engagement of stakeholders means the decisions are understood and supported by those most affected." 

STAR – Socio-technical allocation of resources: engaging stakeholders in decisions 
M Airoldi
London School of Economics
March 2014

Read more here. You can access the accompanying case study here.

Comorbidities: a framework of principles for system-wide action

"This framework sets out the challenges for the wider health and care system in addressing comorbidities and proposes a set of interconnected principles to consider in the design of systems and services to prevent and treat comorbidities."

Comorbidities: a framework of principles for system-wide action
Department of Health
April 2014

Read more here.

Improving dental care and oral health

"This data pack has been produced to support the ‘call to action’ to stimulate debate in local communities – amongst dentists, dental care professionals, patients and public, dental commissioners, health and wellbeing boards and other stakeholders – as to how best to develop NHS dental services." 

Improving dental care and oral health – a call to action evidence resource pack 
NHS England Dental Analytical Team
February 2014

Read more here.

Strengthening the commitment: learning disabilities nursing review

"Learning disabilities nurses, their managers and leaders should develop and apply 
outcomes focused measurement frameworks to evidence their contribution to improving 
person centred health outcomes and demonstrating value for money."

Strengthening the commitment: one year on: progress report on the UK Modernising Learning Disabilities Nursing Review 
Public Health Nursing Division, Modernising Learning Disabilities Nursing UK Implementation Group

Department of Health

April 2014 

Read more here.

Think autism: an update to the government adult autism strategy

"By thinking about and engaging with people who have autism more effectively, by making reasonable adjustments or adaptations and by involving them and building their capabilities, there will be better outcomes for them and a better use of public resources."

Think autism: fulfilling and rewarding lives, the strategy for adults with autism in England: an update
Social Care, Local Government and Care Partnership Directorate
Department of Health
April 2014

Read more here.