Health Management and Policy Alert

Ensuring access to medicines: how to redesign pricing, reimbursement and procurement?

European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies - 

 This policy brief explores the most frequently applied policies for new high-priced medicines as well as some alternative approaches. In each case, the strengths and limitations are assessed and options for improvement are studied. The brief shows that the lack of transparency on ‘real’ prices and development costs for medicines is a key limitation to many policies and argues that improving transparency and cooperation, both within countries and among European Union member states, is the way forward.

• Briefing
• More detail

Ensuring access to medicines: how to stimulate innovation to meet patients’ needs

European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies - 

This policy brief aims to inform discussions about stimulating more meaningful productivity in terms of pharmaceutical R&D. More specifically, it explores how R&D efforts can be steered to areas of unmet clinical needs and how efficiency in the R&D process can be increased. It also explicitly considers concrete options for strengthening cooperation between European Union member states in this context.

• Briefing
• More detail

Surgical care practitioners: Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

NHS Employers - 

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust was one of the first trusts to recruit surgical care practitioners (SCPs) within England. This case study explores how the trust has successfully integrated SCPs within its orthopaedics department and developed the role, providing SCPs with support and training to extend their scope of practice.

• Case study
• More detail

Autumn Budget 2018: a summary

House of Commons Library - 

A summary of Autumn Budget 2018 and the Office for Budget Responsibility's forecasts for the economy and public finances.

• Briefing
• More detail

Budget 2018

HM Treasury - 

The Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered his Budget to Parliament on 29 October 2018. Here is the link to the Budget in full and supporting documents.

• Budget documents

 

Research integrity: clinical trials transparency

House of Commons Science and Technology Committee - 

The Science and Technology Committee has expressed concern that nearly half of clinical trials fail to publish their results and calls for increased transparency. Their report highlights the work previously done by campaigners, which shows that 50 per cent of clinical trials do not publish any results, presenting risks to human health and increasing research wastage.

• Report
• Press release

Non-urgent attendances to emergency departments are more common among younger adults

National Institute for Health Research - NIHR Signal - 

This NIHR-funded study analysed three years’ worth of data (2011-14) from emergency departments within one large region of England representing rural, urban and suburban areas. It found that adults aged 16 to 44 years are more likely to attend emergency departments for non-urgent presentations than older adults. They were more than three times more likely to present for non-urgent reasons than those over 65 years. Non-urgent attendances are also more common during out-of-hours periods, especially at night.

• NIHR Signal

Closing five emergency departments not linked with increased hospital admissions, though ambulance call-outs increased

National Institute for Health Research - NIHR Signal -

Closure of five small emergency departments in England was not associated with change in the number of hospital admissions, urgent care attendances or deaths among the local populations. However, ambulance call-outs increased by 14 per cent relative to comparison areas, with a four-minute increase in the time to reach a hospital with an emergency department. This NIHR-funded study is the first to assess the impact of downgrading or closing emergency departments.

• NIHR Signal

Healthcare (International Arrangements) Bill 2017-19

Parliament - 

This bill has been introduced to give the government legal powers to fund and implement healthcare deals after Brexit. It seeks to safeguard healthcare for 190,000 expats and 50 million people who travel abroad every year, through agreements with the European Union or member states.

• Bill
• Press release

A data-driven approach to personalised cancer care

Reform

Cancer survival could significantly improve if the NHS collects and uses its data more intelligently. This report advocates that NHS leaders collect much more data on cancer patients including survival, treatment, patient experience and medical history. With better analysis there could be improvements in the prevention of cancer, earlier diagnosis and effectiveness of treatment.

• Report
• More detail