Strong primary care can help improve efficiency, says WHO report

Map of Europe with flags identifying each country

In her blog, Caroline De Brún considers a recently published report by the World Health Organization, comparing strengths and issues faced by primary care health systems in Europe.

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“Financial crisis provides a window of opportunity and stimulus for reform” says a Health Foundation report

Measuring tape wrapped around a wad of Euros

This is a summary of an evidence scan produced by The Health Foundation about lessons the NHS can learn from other countries about managing financial crisis.

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“Care needs to be just as important as treatment” says report

Pathway through a forest

This practical guidance has been written to help commissioners, service providers, nurses, medical, and allied health professionals, understand the difference care and compassion can make to the service experience of frail older people, and also to the financial situation of health and social care organisations. The guide covers the following themes: Reducing healthcare-related harm Care [read the full story…]

“To fulfil its constitution, the NHS must continue to provide a comprehensive, excellent service, available to all”, says report

Underground station sign saying mind the gap

The NHS faces an increasing funding gap and a conflict between supply and demand. The constitution says that the NHS must provide a high quality service for everyone. However, the population is growing, and people are living longer, so how can the NHS continue to do more with less? Monitor believes that getting better “health [read the full story…]

“The NHS in England could realise savings of at least £4.4 billion a year…” according to a report

People with plugs

If NHS England adopted people powered health innovations, it could make at least £4.4 billion savings a year according to this report, published by NESTA, an independent charity and the UK’s innovation foundation. This is part of a series of reports due for publication following this one, including: People Powered Health: health for people, by [read the full story…]

Commissioners’ priorities for improving the NHS

Chrysalis butterfly

Introduction This document is relevant to commissioners, public health, local authorities, Clinical Commissioning Groups, and Health and Wellbeing Boards. Originally published in March 2011, it has been updated due to the changes taking place in the NHS as of 1st April 2013. The changes involve more than £65 billion of public money, representing the NHS [read the full story…]

New QIPP case studies from NICE

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If you work in the NHS, public health or social care, you’ve probably heard of QIPP (Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention), but have you heard of the QIPP collection? It’s a website run by NICE that contains: QIPP case studies – examples of how health and social care staff are improving quality and productivity across [read the full story…]

Value based clinical commissioning of elective surgical care: from low to high value?

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This report on Phase 1 of work by the QIPP Right Care Team looks at emerging views of commissioners and surgeons on the issue of commissioning policies on “low value” procedures. The studies were commissioned by Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS medical director. Background Recent years have seen the emergence of several listings of procedures [read the full story…]

Reducing alcohol related hospital admissions and improving quality of care (QIPP)

Spilled glass of red wine

The British Society of Gastroenterology and the Royal Bolton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have published a quality and productivity (QIPP) case study, which looks at how to reduce alcohol related hospital admissions and improve the quality of care. Very few hospitals have dedicated alcohol services, and a 2009 survey showed that only 42% of acute [read the full story…]