High performing trust bosses asked to ‘peer review’ others – Health Service Journal<\/strong> How to make NHS mergers work better for patients – NHS Improvement<\/strong> Supporting evidence:<\/p>\n Draft guidance on good governance in a local health economy – NHS Improvement<\/strong> STPs to set plans for specialised services overhaul – <\/strong>Health Service Journal<\/strong> Strategic quality improvement: An action learning approach – Kings Fund<\/strong> Seven day hospital services – NHS England<\/strong> A set of case studies<\/a> based on the clinical standards is also available.<\/p>\n Discharging older patients from hospital – The National Audit Office Emergency general surgery: challenges and opportunities – The Nuffield Trust<\/strong> Outpatient services and primary care – NIHR<\/strong> Making mergers work better for patients – NHS Improvement Health technology: older people – 2020 Health Future of public services: digital patients – Reform Role of the nurse on the CCG governing body – NHS Clinical Commissioners Nurses Forum Securing good outcomes for patients when awarding contracts – NHS Improvement Flu plan: winter 2016 to 2017 – Public Health England Statistics<\/strong><\/p>\n NICE guidelines update<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nRegulators have asked chief executives and chairs at \u201chigh performing\u201d trusts to take part in reviews of other NHS providers.<\/p>\n
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\nWorking with Aldwych Partners and Cass Business School, NHS Improvement have used existing research and interviews with senior executives at NHS trusts and foundation trusts to produce resources for providers contemplating, planning or implementing a merger.
\nResources<\/a> include:<\/p>\n\n
\nA summary of the merger process from beginning to end \u2012 from creating a strategic rationale to achieving cultural integration. It sets out the biggest challenges that people leading merging trusts should anticipate and gives practical advice on how to overcome them.<\/li>\n
\nDescribes what service improvements and savings NHS trusts and foundation trusts have achieved in the past, offering insight into what others can realistically expect to achieve through merger.<\/li>\n
\nKey factors that can affect the delivery of improvements through merger and practical advice on how best to achieve these for patients.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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\nThis guidance <\/a>sets out what NHS Improvement expect as a matter of good governance from providers when working in a Local Health Economy (LHE).
\nMany providers are likely to be part of more than one unit of planning or working, depending on their purpose. For example, the appropriate unit for specialised services collaborations might look different to Sustainability and Transformation Plan footprints or a devolved area. The guidance also defines what is meant by a LHE and when NHS Improvement might consider taking action against a provider.<\/p>\n
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\nSustainability and transformation plans must propose service change priorities and new provider \u201cconfigurations\u201d for specialised services, NHS England announced this week.<\/p>\n
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\nThe King\u2019s Fund was commissioned by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust to work with their Quality Board to facilitate an assessment of its existing approaches to quality improvement and to develop a strategy for future work.
\nThis case study<\/a> details the approach and philosophy behind this work, which involved working with the trust\u2019s five directorates to develop their ability to appraise their own approach to quality improvement with a view to improving performance, achieving better clinical outcomes and building further on the trust\u2019s capacity as a learning organisation.<\/p>\n
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\nResources developed by the Seven Days a Week Forum<\/a> including<\/p>\n\n
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\n<\/strong>The National Audit Office has published Discharging older patients from hospital<\/a>.\u00a0 The report finds that the health and social care system\u2019s management of discharging older patients from hospital does not represent value for money. The spending watchdog estimates that the gross annual cost to the NHS of treating older patients in hospital who no longer need to receive acute clinical care is in the region of \u00a3820 million.\u00a0 The report highlights that, while some efforts to rectify the situation have been made, an ageing population and an increase in older people being admitted to hospital requires there to be a step change in performance to resolve the problem.<\/p>\n
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\nThe Nuffield Trust was commissioned by the Royal College of Surgeons of England to explore the challenges facing emergency general surgery <\/a>and identify opportunities to overcome them.<\/p>\n
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\nThe National Institute for Health Research has published Outpatient services and primary care: scoping review, substudies and international comparisons<\/a>.\u00a0 This updated scoping review concludes that for many conditions, high-quality care in the community can be provided and is popular with patients. However, there is little conclusive evidence on the cost-effectiveness of the provision of more care in the community. Evidence from the study suggests that further shifts of care into the community can be justified only if (a) high value is given to patient convenience in relation to NHS costs or (b) community care can be provided in a way that reduces overall health-care costs. It is important that any new NHS initiatives should collect data to show whether or not they have added value, and improved quality and patient and staff experience.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/strong>NHS Improvement has published a series of guides<\/a> aimed at helping senior executives and clinicians decide whether a merger is the right choice to deliver improvements for patients, and if so how to ensure it is successful.\u00a0 The guides are based on advice from those who have already planned and implemented a merger.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/strong>2020 Health has published \u00a0Health technologies \u2013 are older people interested?<\/a>\u00a0 The report presents the results of a survey of 700 baby-boomers who were asked about their willingness to use innovation in caring for their parents.\u00a0 Two thirds of 55-75 year olds are interested in using such technology with their parents.\u00a0 Help with medication, memory, fall detection, instant communication and health metrics such as blood pressure were liked, but respondents were more wary of technology for dressing, eating and personal care.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/span><\/strong>Reform has published The future of public services: digital patients<\/a>.\u00a0 This report highlights the important role app and wearable technology will play in healthcare. This paper is the third in a series looking at the transformative role technology will play in the future delivery of public services.\u00a0 The emergence of wearable and app technology in healthcare presents policymakers with an unprecedented opportunity to engage patients in their own healthcare.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/strong>NHS Clinical Commissioners Nurses Forum has published a briefing The role of the nurse on the CCG governing body<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 This report highlights how the role of nurses on a CCG\u2019s governing body has changed over time. \u00a0Through a series of case studies the report shows the impact that commissioning nurses are making locally.\u00a0 It also makes recommendations for national organisations and CCGs themselves on how they can support the commissioning nurse to be as effective as possible.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/strong>NHS Improvement has published Briefing for clinical commissioning groups: options for selecting providers and awarding contracts<\/a>.\u00a0 This guide supports CCGs to make good decisions by clarifying what they need to do when selecting providers and awarding contracts.\u00a0 It should be read in conjunction with guidance previously issued by Monitor and the Cabinet Office as well as forthcoming guidance from the Department of Health on requirements from recent changes to general procurement law.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/strong>Public Health England has published its Flu plan: winter 2016 to 2017<\/a>. This guidance aims to aid the development of strong and flexible operational plans by local organisations and emergency planners within the NHS and local government. It provides the public and healthcare professionals with: an overview of the co-ordination and the preparation for the flu season and signposting to further guidance and information. The plan also includes details about the extension of the flu vaccination programme to children, which is being implemented gradually due to the scale of the programme.<\/p>\n
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