Five safe, sustainable and productive staffing improvement resources

NHS Improvement has published five safe, sustainable and productive staffing improvement resources in the areas of maternity services, adult inpatients in acute care, district nursing services, learning disability services and mental health.

Patients in long-stay hospitals being neglected in policy and practice, says Centre for Mental Health

People with long-term mental health needs are facing stays of many years in inpatient services because of a lack of community services to help them to recover, according to a briefing paper published today by Centre for Mental Health. See paper here

Children and young people's survey 2016

The CQC has published what it claims is the largest survey of the quality of care for under-16s. More than 34,000 patients and their parents and carers took part in the research.

Overall, experiences were mostly positive – 81% of parents and carers rated care at 8 out of 10 or better - but findings also identified a number of areas for improvement. These were around involving children more in decision-making, being treated on age appropriate wards and having enough things to do while in hospital

Older people living with frailty in hospitals

This NIHR review brings together research on what can be done to identify and manage the needs of frail older people living in hospital. It covers four key aspects of caring for this group of people: assessment, identifying and managing symptoms associated with frailty in hospital, discharge planning and caring environments.

Most children and young people report good experiences of hospital care

The results of the 2016 children and young people’s survey show that the majority of children and young people who stayed in hospital overnight or were seen as a day case patient were happy with the care they received.

The survey results reveal what over 34,000 children and young people under the age of 16 and their parents and carers said about the hospital care they received during November and December 2016.

Join enhanced care improvement collaborative for inpatient acute/community trusts

NHS Improvement is launching an enhanced care improvement collaborative in March 2018 to deliver an improved experience for critically ill or vulnerable patients in hospital. The programme will build on the learning from the pilot programme in 2015/16 and roll out best practice.

Dementia assessment and improvement framework

An evidence-based framework from NHS Improvement to support and enable directors of nursing and medical directors to achieve ‘outstanding’ care standards for those living with dementia during their stay in hospital.

Latest patient-led assessments reveal quality of healthcare premises

NHS Digital has published annual patient-led assessments of non-clinical elements of care such as food and waiting areas.

This assessment focuses particularly on issues of access such as wheelchairs, mobility and signage, as well as provision of visual/audible appointment alert systems and hearing loops.

Inpatient provision for children and young people with mental health problems

This report examines the state of child and adolescent mental health inpatient services in England. It explores the latest evidence and NHS data on admissions, quality of care, staffing and capacity. It highlights five challenges to raising standards in young people’s mental health provision.

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The incidence and costs of inpatient falls in hospitals

This review from NHS Improvement is based on existing evidence and data, and provides an overview of the scale of inpatient falls and the benefits to the NHS if the rate of falls was reduced in hospitals.

The inpatient healthcare economy for people with learning disabilities and/or autism spectrum disorder

Centre for Disability Research, University of Lancaster (CeDR) - 
This report analysis the market for inpatient services for people with learning disabilities in England. The analysis finds that approximately half of these services are run by the independent sector, services which are valued at over a quarter of a billion pounds per year. The report calls for greater scrutiny and accountability for the independent sector to ensure high quality of care and patient safety.

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Long-stay rehabilitation services

This briefing reviews evidence from Care Quality Commission inspection reports of inpatient rehabilitation services in England. It finds that while many people receive high quality care close to home from rehabilitation services, a minority spend periods of many months and sometimes years in hospital. Some are placed far from home in locked wards and become isolated from their families and dislocated from their local health and care services. It calls on the government and the NHS to provide clear direction for the development and improvement of local community and hospital services for people with complex mental health needs. It also calls on NHS providers and CCGs to ensure they offer local services to people requiring rehabilitation support and that they maintain contact with people admitted to hospitals out of their local area.

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CQC relaxes stance on ‘bed limit’ for learning disability services

The Care Quality Commission has relaxed proposals to introduce a cap on the number of beds a learning disability service can have as a condition of registration.

The regulator attracted criticism after publishing draft guidance that appeared to restrict registration to facilities housing six people or fewer, in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) policy on autism accommodation.

Following a consultation period, the CQC has published an amended version of its document, ‘Registering the right support’, in which the language has been softened. The new guidance says that the CQC “will not adopt ‘six’ as a rigid rule” for providers of any service for people with a learning disability and/or autism.

Overall Patient Experience Scores: 2016 Adult Inpatient Survey update

NHS England has published the latest statistical information on patients’ experience of adult inpatient care in the NHS. This is an update to include results from the 2016 Adult Inpatient Survey.

The 2016 survey included 149 acute and specialist NHS trusts. Eligible patients were aged 16 years or over, who had spent at least one night in hospital during July 2016 and were not admitted to maternity or psychiatric units. Responses were received from 77,850 patients with a response rate of 44%.

1 in 3 Hospital Patients Shows Signs of Depression

A new study finds that about one in three patients admitted to the hospital exhibits symptoms of depression, potentially affecting their clinical outcomes. Depressive symptoms can delay recovery time, increase length of hospital stays, and increase the frequency of readmissions, for example.

The findings, published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, suggest that screening hospitalized patients for depression should be as routine as testing for physical markers, such as blood pressure and cholesterol.

2016 adult inpatient survey: statistical release

This CQC report outlines the findings of the 2016 adult inpatient survey which illustrates the experiences of care of over 77,000 patients who received care in an NHS hospital during July 2016.

The report identifies significant improvements in the quality of communication and confidence in medical staff however it warns that there are a substantial amount of areas which have shown decline such as patient involvement, waiting times and post-discharge care.

Intravenous fluid therapy in adults in hospital

This guideline covering the general principles for managing intravenous (IV) fluid therapy in hospital inpatients aged 16 and over with a range of conditions has been updated.

Campaign calls for update to NICE guidance on supporting people discharged from inpatient mental health care

People discharged from inpatient mental health care are waiting too long for follow-up support, according to Mind, who are calling for an urgent update to NICE guidelines.

Whilst current guidance states that people discharged from inpatient care should be followed up within seven days, Mind has highlighted that this is too long a wait for people who are extremely vulnerable.

CCGs face mounting 'aftercare' costs for mental health patients

Clinical commissioning groups are facing mounting costs for the care of people after they have been detained under the Mental Health Act, but many are not recording how many patients they have, HSJ can reveal.

An HSJ investigation has found the average cost per CCG of providing “aftercare” for mental health patients following their discharge has increased by 50 per cent since 2013-14, from £1.5m a year to £2.3m in 2016-17.

Older People’s Care in Acute Settings Benchmarking 2016

This report from the NHS Benchmarking Network explores the pathway that older people take through the acute hospital, including A&E and assessments units, inpatient wards and supported discharge teams. Forty seven acute hospitals took part in the 2016 project collecting 2015/16 data.