The effect of hospital ownership on quality of care: evidence from England – Centre for Health Economics
This research investigates whether quality of care differs between public and private hospitals in England with data on 3.8 million publicly-funded patients receiving 133 planned (non-emergency) treatments in 393 public and 190 private hospital sites. The authors found no quality differences between hospitals specialising in planned treatments and other hospitals, nor between for-profit and not-for-profit private hospitals.

Empowering leaders for the future of commissioning – NHE | NEWS
Caroline Chipperfield, associate director of partnerships at the NHS Leadership Academy, explores the conditions, culture and climate leaders will need to be able to flourish in the changing commissioning landscape. As healthcare moves towards a focus on wellbeing for citizens, clinical commissioning is becoming increasingly critical….

Sustainability and Transformation Plan questionnaire report – Faculty of Public Health (FPH)
The FPH Board requested a survey of directors of public health in England to gauge the level of involvement of key local public health staff in local authorities and the NHS. The online survey was conducted during December 2016 and January 2017, and an initial summary analysis of responses was reported to the FPH Board in February 2017. This report presents the results of the survey and identifies the key public health challenges and influences in the effectiveness of the public health and preventative elements of the STP.

How healthcare is funded – The King’s Fund
The NHS is experiencing the longest and most severe slowdown in funding in its history. This has raised questions about the sustainability of its funding model. The way that health care is funded varies between different countries. This document explains the main models used to finance health care: taxation, private health insurance and social health insurance. It outlines how each model works in its purest form, while recognising that most countries typically pay for health care using a combination of methods. It also looks at user charges.

Ministers, not NHS England, should decide on the affordability of cost-effective new treatments – The King’s Fund
The NHS can no longer afford to fund new treatments to the extent that it has done in the past. This potentially has big implications for patients, but the message is being delivered by un-elected NHS organisations when it should be ministers – the budget setters – taking responsibility for this.

Ethical procurement for health: workbook – Sustainable Development Unit
This workbook aims to provide practical guidance for organisations in the health and social care sector to embed labour standards considerations into procurement and supplier management activities. It also aims to build awareness of labour standards risks in modern supply chains serving the health sector, so that these can be addressed proactively and constructively.

Patient experience of primary care
The National Institute for Health Research has published Patient experience of primary care.  This information highlight shares recent research obtained from the general practice survey data. It shares the findings on what patients really think about their care, how this varies for different patient groups and how practices can act on patient feedback.

Hospital trust creates primary care company – HSJ
Chesterfield Royal Hospital Foundation Trust has created a new arm’s length limited company to provide GP services to more than 30,000 patients in Chesterfield and north east Derbyshire.

NICE guidance

• Clinical guideline (updated)
  CG80 – Early and locally advanced breast cancer: diagnosis and treatment
  CG164 – Familial breast cancer: classification, care and managing breast cancer and related risks in people with a family history of breast cancer
•  Interventional procedures guidance
  IPG576 – Extraurethral (non-circumferential) retropubic adjustable compression devices for stress urinary incontinence in women
  IPG577 – Sacrocolpopexy with hysterectomy using mesh to repair uterine prolapse
• Technology appraisal guidance
  TA434 – Elotuzumab for previously treated multiple myeloma (terminated appraisal)
  TA435 – Tenofovir alafenamide for treating chronic hepatitis B (terminated appraisal)
  TA436 – Bevacizumab for treating EGFR mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (terminated appraisal)
  TA437 – Ibrutinib with bendamustine and rituximab for treating relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia after systemic therapy (terminated appraisal)
   

Statistics

• CCG Outcomes Indicator Set – March 2017
• Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Report – December 2016 Final, January 2017 (Quarter 2 2016-17)
• Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator – Deaths associated with hospitalisation, October 2015 – September 2016
• Diagnostic Imaging Dataset for November 2016
• Geographic patterns of cancer survival, England: 2015
• National Audit of Pulmonary Hypertension – 7th Annual Report