Engaging people in sustainable healthcare: guide to resources

The NHS Sustainable Development Unit has helped develop a new tool to help NHS organisations think through how they build staff, public and patient engagement into their work on sustainability. It provides evidence of what works and brings together the latest learning and evidence from a variety of healthcare organisations, including emerging clinical commissioning groups across the country.

Arrangements for emergency preparedness, resilience and response

The Department of Health and the NHS Commissioning Board have published further information on implementing the arrangements for emergency preparedness, resilience and response, including the establishment of local health resilience partnerships (LHRP) while maintaining current resilience arrangements

Measuring outcomes: a guide for commissioners

These two slide sets from the King’s Fund aim to help CCGs make the best use of measurement to support them to commission for improved outcomes.  The first set of slides introduces general concepts; the second set looks specifically at how commissioners can build up sets of measures along whole pathways of care.

Explaining variation in use of emergency hospital beds by patients over 65

This report explores the contribution made by patient demand and broader system relationships to the significant variation in the use of hospital beds by patients over 65 admitted as an emergency.

Looking for value in hard times

This report describes a new approach to priority setting called Star. It works by producing visual models, developed interactively with stakeholders, so that those involved can understand the nature of the choices to be made - and the disadvantages of not changing current practices.

Monitor publishes review of annual plans for NHS Foundation Trust Sector

Monitor has set out the main challenges facing foundation trusts in its review of the sector’s annual plans.  The review of NHS foundation trust plans (2012/13) shows that the sector still faces challenges in meeting greater demand and more challenging health care targets while delivering significant savings each year.

National Quality Board set out how to improve quality in the new health system

The National Quality Board (NQB) has published a report setting out how the new health system will work together to maintain and improve quality and safety, ensuring patients receive the best care possible.

Implementing the next stage in the transition to the new health and care system

In these letters, NHS Chief Executive, David Nicholson sets out arrangements to ensure stability and resilience for the current system through transition to the new health and care system from April 2013.

An analysis of hospital activity by day of the week

This analysis from CHKS found that for elective admissions, discharges and caesareans and for most procedures and diagnostics, there is a significant drop in activity at the weekend.

Foundation Trust toolkit

The NHS Commissioning Board has developed and road-tested a toolkit which looks at the processes involved in becoming a foundation trust (FT) and how CCGs might work with local providers.

Resource pack published for local health resilience partnerships

New arrangements for local health emergency preparedness,resilience and response (EPRR) will start from 1 April 2013. A key feature of which is the formation of local health resilience partnerships (LHRPs) for which this resource pack has been produced.

Strategic clinical networks

The NHS Commissioning Board Authority has set out its plan for a small number ofnational networks to improve health services for specific patient groups or conditions: cancer;  cardiovascular disease; maternity and children’s services; Mental health, dementia and neurological conditions.

Preparing for the Francis report: how to assure quality in the NHS

In this report, the King’s Fund sets out its views on how the system of quality assurance, including regulation, needs to evolve, the principles on which it should be built and how it should operate.

New NHS internal audit standards published

New NHS internal audit standards have been published by the Department of Health and take effect from 1 April 2011.

Quality of data across health and social care

A new report from the NHS Information Centre finds that the error rate in PbR data ranged from zero to more than 20 per cent; 4,500 duplicate patient care records; and the recording of valid NHS numbers by hospitals was above 98 per cent for inpatient and outpatient services but  only at 93 per cent for accident and emergency services.

The NHS Performance Framework 2012/13 update to patient experience annex B

The patientexperience annex (annex B) has been changed.  This update includes details of the thresholds against which data will be measured, based on averages calculated from the 2011/12 CQC Inpatient Survey.

The Year 21011/12

In this annual report, Sir David Nicholson reviews the NHS achievements of the previous 12 months and considers the challenges to come.

CQC publishes first full analysis of performance and risk in health and social care

The Care Quality Commission has published a comprehensive ‘snapshot’ of the performance of health and social care providers in England, based on unannounced inspections of over 14,000 locations. The online version of the Market Report contains interactive graphs and maps, and allows you to see how the different sectors it regulates are performing and which areas are causing concern.

NHS Outcomes Framework indicators - June 2012 Release

A new indicator has been published comparing age and sex standardised mortality rate in people with serious mental illness to the general population.

PbR update nine – June 2012

The June update includes information on: PbR in 2012-13; Gearing up for the collection of 2011-12 reference costs; Maternity pathway payment system; and PbR for sexual health services.