Health Management and Policy Alert

Transforming end of life care in acute hospitals: the route to success ‘how to’ guide

This guide builds upon the framework set out in 'The route to success in end of life care – achieving quality in acute hospitals', published in 2010. It highlighted best practice models developed by acute hospital trusts, providing a framework to enable hospitals to deliver high quality care to people at the end of life. This guide aims to help clinicians, managers and directors implement 'The route to success' more effectively, drawing on valuable learning from the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement’s Productive Ward: Releasing time to care series.

• Links to sections of guide
• The route to success in end of life care: achieving quality in acute hospitals (June 2010)
• NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement - Productive ward: releasing time to care

The route to success in end of life care: achieving quality in ambulance services

This guide sets out the key role and contribution of ambulance services in achieving high quality care at each step along the end of life care pathway. Whilst highlighting the crucial role of ambulance services, the guide also acknowledges the unique set of challenges and barriers that need to be addressed and overcome.

• Guide
• NHS National End of Life Care Programme - publications

Developing excellence in cancer networks

This report calls for the NHS Commissioning Board to establish cancer networks as Strategic Clinical Networks and recommends a series of quality markers for what cancer networks can achieve when they’re working at their best. It uncovers insights from senior network staff about how networks can help to improve patient experience and outcomes, as well as support commissioners and providers to deliver high-quality cancer services.

• Report
• Cancer Campaigning Group - news

Healthy competition

This report presents ten case studies of successful health reform. Each case study shows how a radical change in the delivery of healthcare can result in improved quality and productivity.

• Report
• Reform - publications

Acceptable behaviour? Public opinion on behaviour change policy

This international research considers the public acceptability of a range of measures intended to change behaviour across four policy areas. It investigates support for different levels of political intervention in the lives of individuals with regard to: smoking; eating unhealthy foods; saving for retirement; and living in an environmentally sustainable way.

• Report
• Ipsos MORI - publications

Spirituality in nursing care: online resource

This online resource supports nursing staff to explore the issue of spirituality in an interactive and reflective way that develops self-awareness and highlights implications and considerations for nursing practice. It will aims to be of use to all health care professionals, allowing them to engage with and address important questions about the spiritual aspect of care.

• Online resource

The effect of a hospital nurse staffing mandate on patient health outcomes: evidence from California’s minimum staffing regulation

This paper evaluates the impact of California Assembly Bill 394, which mandated maximum levels of patients per nurse in the hospital setting. This paper finds evidence that the legislation had the intended effect of decreasing patient/nurse ratios in hospitals that previously did not meet mandated standards. However, these improvements in staffing ratios do not appear to be associated with relative improvements in measured patient safety in affected hospitals.

• Working paper
• Centre for Market and Public Organisation - press release

Language competency: good practice guidance for employers

This document outlines the importance of language competency assessment and aims to provide good practice guidance for employers. It has been produced in consultation with key partners including the European Office, the Department of Health and professional regulatory bodies. It reflects current law under the European Directive 2005/36/EC – recognition of professional qualifications.

• Guidance
• NHS Employers - publications

Government response to the House of Commons Health Committee report on public expenditure, thirteenth report of session 2010–12

In January 2012, the House of Commons Health Committee published 'Public Expenditure: Thirteenth Report of Session 2010–12'. It followed an inquiry by the Health Committee which sought evidence from the Secretary of State for Health along with other witnesses. The Government has considered the Committee’s report and the issues that it raises, and this paper sets out the Government’s response.

• Report
• Official Documents - command papers

Rationing health care: is it time to set out more clearly what is funded by the NHS?

This report examines both the feasibility, and the advantages and disadvantages, of setting out explicitly the care patients are entitled to, in the form of a nationally specified NHS ‘benefits package’. It draws on the experience of countries that have sought to explicitly define the health care benefits that their publicly-funded health systems will pay for. It outlines the current system in which decisions for determining which treatments are funded by the NHS are arrived at implicitly and makes several recommendations for how the system could be improved.

• Report
• Nuffield Trust - publications