High impact change model Managing transfers of care

This resource supports the High Impact Change model for managing transfers of care. It contains examples for the eight system changes where there is evidence of impact, examples of emerging practice that are starting to make a difference and includes links to guidance and further information.

Medicines optimisation dashboard quarterly refresh

Medicines optimisation leads are encouraged to visit the MO Dashboard following the latest quarterly refresh of the data.

Drugs and pharmaceutical electronic market information tool (eMIT)

This tool gives background information on the pharmaceuticals that hospitals might buy.

The data provided includes an estimate of NHS hospital-sector annual usage from English trusts for the product selected, the average price paid for that product over the last 4 months of the period, and a measure of how much that average changed.

NHS efficiency map

This map promotes best practice in identifying, delivering and monitoring cost improvement programmes in the NHS. It contains links to a range of tools and guidance to help NHS bodies improve their efficiency.

The map is split into three sections: enablers for efficiency, provider efficiency and system efficiency. It highlights the successes some NHS providers have had in delivering specific efficiency schemes and provides sign-posts to existing tools and reference materials. It also includes updated definitions for different types of efficiency.

It has been updated with additional case studies.

New approach to NHS clinical assessment could save thousands of lives

NHS England is asking every hospital trust to adopt the Royal College of Physicians’ new clinical assessment system that could save nearly 2,000 lives and 627,000 bed days every year.

The National Early Warning Score (NEWS) has been produced by the Royal College of Physicians and is backed by the Royal College for Emergency Medicine, NHS Improvement, the Association of Ambulance Chairs and Sir Bruce Keogh, National Medical Director for NHS England.

NHS uses sickness data as early warning to cope with winter surges

A sickness surveillance system will help the NHS plan for surges in demand this winter by tracking outbreaks of norovirus, which causes vomiting and diarrhoea, and other illness around the country.

Data gathered by Public Health England will be used by NHS England operational monitoring teams to study winter trends and to help give early warning about rising outbreaks of flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and norovirus as well as other acute seasonal illnesses.

The findings will allow the NHS to anticipate rises in hospital admissions and produce a planned response by, for example, rescheduling planned surgery in advance to avoid inconveniencing patients as well as free up beds and converting ‘swing’ wards from elective to emergency care for patients with conditions such as respiratory problems.

Evaluating Weekend Handover in General Surgery Using a Bespoke Proforma Tool

International Journal of Surgery , Volume 47 , S60 

The weekend is potentially a vulnerable period for patients in hospital. The GMC requires all doctors to ensure safe and effective handover. We evaluate the use of a weekend handover proforma in general surgery.

UHCW Research: Z. Mughal, R. Payne, and H. Zaidi

The Fifteen Steps Challenge – Quality from a patient’s perspective: A toolkit for clinics and outpatient settings

This document from NHS England, focuses on clinics and outpatient settings, is part of a suite of toolkits for The Fifteen Steps Challenge, which helps to explore patient experience and are a way of involving patients, carers and families in quality assurance processes.

How to make NHS mergers work better for patients

Many NHS trusts and foundation trusts are considering merging in pursuit of better integrated, higher quality, more cost effective care. These guides are based on advice from those who have already planned and implemented a merger.

Working with Aldwych Partners and Cass Business School, NHS Improvement has produced resources for providers contemplating, planning or implementing a merger to help senior executives and clinicians decide whether a merger is the right choice to deliver improvements for patients, and if so how to ensure it is successful.

Falls risk screening tools ‘not accurate’ new report warns

The Royal College of Physicians’ National Audit for Inpatient Falls assessed 5,000 falls, and shows that although prevention across England and Wales has improved slightly, many patients are not receiving the right assessments that can help prevent harm.

The audit reveals that since 2015, many trusts and Local Health Boards (LHBs) have stopped using ‘falls risk screening or prediction tools’ (a drop from 74 per cent in 2015 to 34 per cent).

Red2Green: making a difference to our patients

A helfpul video from NHS Improvement for other trusts looking for ways to reduce delayed discharges. It explains the processes put in place across Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to speed up discharges and how they have been successfully implemented.

The main focus is Red2Green, but it also talks about the reasons why these measures have been brought in, with particular reference to the fact that 10 days in bed equates to 10 years worth of muscle wastage in patients over the age of 80.

Safe transfusion practice: use a bedside checklist

Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT), has repeatedly identified that patients are harmed, and some die, as a result of being given the incorrect type of blood.

SHOT therefore recommends a structured process with a bedside checklist; this alert provides information against which organisations should assess their bedside systems.

Use of resources assessment: a brief guide for acute non-specialist trusts

The Use of resources assessment framework aims to improve understanding of how effectively and efficiently NHS providers are using their resources. By the end of 2019, all acute non-specialist trusts will have undergone an assessment. This briefing from NHS Improvement provides an overview for non-specialist acute trusts on the agenda for the onsite visit and other useful information.

See also this consultation from the CQC on reporting and rating NHS trusts’ use of resources.

Transforming care: views sought on NHS quality checkers’ toolkits

NHS England is testing toolkits for quality checkers to use in the assessment of services for people with autism and/or learning disabilities including GPs, community services, dental, acute care, accident and emergency and mental health.

These draft toolkits have been co-produced with people with a learning disability, autism or both and include health issues that are important to them. Most of the toolkits have been tested in some NHS services, but NHS England wants to gain the views of people who work in the services, commissioners and others who are interested in this work. The closing date of 1 December 2017.

Updated employment check standards

NHS Employers has updated the employment check standards for 2017.

While the legal requirements have remained largely unchanged, this year’s review has responded to requests for additional clarity on certain elements of the requirements.  The check standards cover six areas:

• identity
• right to work
• employment history and references
• professional registration and qualifications
• criminal record
• work health assessments.

See also the updated employment checks document cross reference tool.

The medical director induction guide: supporting recently appointed medical directors

NHS Improvement has partnered with the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management to produce a guide to support recently appointed medical directors.

Measuring up: your community and your workforce

There are groups of potential candidates in your community who could help you to address your workforce supply challenges, now and in the future. In order to help employers think about recruiting from these groups, NHS Employers has launched a new digital tool to help you compare your current workforce data with data from your local community. 

The aim of the tool is to highlight groups in your community that may be missing from your workforce, and will signpost you to advice on how to better attract, recruit and retain from these groups in order to strengthen your workforce supply.

Working with other health and care partners – a suggested checklist for LPCs

This PSNC Briefing, which is aimed at Local Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC) Chief Officers and members, provides a suggested checklist for developing relationships with other health and care partners including Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STPs) / aspirant Accountable Care Systems (ACSs) and Accountable Care Organisations (ACOs), Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) staff and members and GPs. This Briefing is an updated version of one previously published in 2013 and it draws upon recent feedback and advice from LPC Chief Officers collated by PSNC.

Professionalism animations to support nurses and midwives

Three animations, produced by the NMC, demonstrate how nurses and midwives could use the Enabling professionalism framework to reflect on practice and challenge poor behaviour.

See also the Enabling professionalism in nursing and midwifery practice guide.

Rehab Matters - film

Rehab Matters, is a short film, commissioned by the CSP, and made by Oscar-shortlisted UK director Chris Jones, looking at the difference community rehabilitation makes to the life of a woman who has just left hospital following a stroke.