Health Management and Policy Alert

Clinical engagement and collaboration: Newcastle Gateshead CCG

NHS Clinical Commissioners - 

The Core Cities Network is a peer-led network representing clinical commissioning groups from the eight core cities in England outside London – Nottingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol, Newcastle, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester. This case study explores the value of clinical engagement and collaboration, as well as the challenges and benefits from working across different geographies.

• Case study
• Core Cities Network

How should health policy respond to the growing challenge of multimorbidity?

University of Bristol - 

There is growing awareness internationally of the increasing number of people living with multiple long-term health conditions, known as multimorbidity. Health services, including the NHS, need to adapt to address this challenge. This policy report discusses the issue of multimorbidity, and offers a summary of recommendations.

• Report
• Press release

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

Changing the system: major trauma patients and their outcomes in the NHS (England) 2008–17

The Lancet - 

This independent report, commissioned by NHS England and published in The Lancet open-access journal EClinicalMedicine, found that the creation of major traumas centres led to the survival of more than 1,600 patients who have suffered some of the most severe and complicated injuries thanks to top teams of surgeons, doctors and clinical staff. Patients also spent fewer days in hospital and had improved quality of life after receiving critical care.

• Report
• Press release

Clinical pharmacists in general practice: pilot scheme evaluation

University of Nottingham - 

This evaluation report showed that clinical pharmacists significantly increase patient appointment capacity and reduce pressure on GPs. More than 490 clinical pharmacists were placed in over 650 practices across England in the pilot project which supports the aim of having over 2,000 clinical pharmacists working in general practice by 2020/21 – a ratio of one per 30,000 patients. The research team investigated the work of the newly created clinical pharmacist roles from the perspectives of the pharmacists, those working immediately with them in their roles, professional stakeholders and patients.

• Report
• Press release

A picture of health: the NHS at 70 and its future

The Fabian Society - 

This report, edited by the Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth MP, explores a comprehensive agenda for the future of the NHS looking at how it is funded, organised and reformed. It brings together analysis and policy recommendations from twelve leading experts on the NHS from both left-wing and non-party perspectives. These authors include Luciana Berger MP, Paul Williams MP, Lord Kerslake, Sara Gorton (head of health at UNISON), Tara Donnelly (chief executive at the Health Innovation Network), and Andrew Harrop (Fabian Society).

• Report
• Press release

The health and social care interface

National Audit Office -
This report presents and discusses 16 challenges to improved joint working. It also highlights some of the work being carried out nationally and locally to overcome these challenges and the progress that has been made. It draws out the risks presented by inherent differences between the health and social care systems and how national and local bodies are managing these.

• Report
• National Audit Office - publications

GP partnership review

Department of Health and Social Care -

This review, led by Dr Nigel Watson, will consider: the challenges facing partnerships within the context of general practice and the wider NHS; the benefits and shortcomings of the partnership model for patients, partners, salaried GPs, locum GPs, practice nurses, and the wider NHS; how best to reinvigorate the partnership model to equip it to help transform general practice.

• Terms of reference
• Call for evidence

Developing new care models through NHS vanguards

National Audit Office - 

This report examines whether the NHS is well placed to get value for money from its investment in developing new care models through vanguards. In particular, it focuses on: set up and management of the vanguard programme (Part One); national support and evaluation (Part Two); progress made by the vanguards (Part Three); and readiness for the spread of these new care models (Part Four).

• Report
• More detail

Ten steps towards a new plan for the NHS in England

NHS Confederation - 

The NHS Confederation is calling for a national conversation about what we want and can expect from the health service in England over the next ten years. Crucially this needs to involve those who use and those who work for the service. They propose ten actions which would underpin specific priorities for a new plan. The plan itself would set clear outcomes for patients and for the NHS over the next decade.

• Document
• Press release