Physical activity and mental health

The Mental Health Foundation has published Empowering people through physical activity.  This report presents the findings from a study of a physical activity intervention based in Northern Ireland for people with severe and enduring mental health problems.  The study aimed to increase knowledge about what works to engage people with severe and enduring mental health problems in sustained physical activity to a level that is improving and protecting their physical health.

Wellbeing of doctors and medical students

The General Medical Council has published Caring for doctors, caring for patients.  This is the report of a review to help tackle the causes of poor wellbeing faced by medical students and doctors.  It includes eight recommendations to help deliver safe, supportive and inclusive environments, and compassionate cultures across the UK.

Mortality and life expectancy trends

The Health Foundation has published Mortality and life expectancy trends in the UK: stalling progress.  This research explores the reasons behind stalling life expectancy improvements in the UK, detailing trends affecting groups of the population.  The report calls for an independent body in the UK to scrutinise government policy and provide independent, expert analysis and advice on the drivers of mortality, and identify policy action required to protect life expectancy for future generations.

Cyber resilience in health and care

Occupational health services

NHS Employers has updated the guidance document - Your occupational health service: guidance - supports occupational health leaders, HR directors and boards to understand what occupational health (OH) services should be delivering for their organisations. 

Patient engagement

Healthwatch England has published Making your voice count 2019.  This document summaries some of the stories from the Heathwatch Network Awards which highlight how Healthwatch use patient and public views to  ensure that local people receive the health and care that they need.

Inclusive recruitment

NHS Employers has produced How to recruit and support disabled staff in the NHS: an interactive toolkit.  This toolkit is designed to help employers attract and retain disabled talent in their organisations

Innovation in government

Nesta has published 20 tools for innovating in government.  This handbook covers 20 evidence-based tools designed to help bring bold ideas to life to change lives from within government.

A manifesto for children

Alcohol consumption in Europe

Hospital food review

The Government has announced a review of hospital food.  The government will work with the NHS to improve food quality in hospitals and provide consistently safe, nutritious and tasty food.  Alongside this, new national standards for healthcare food for patients, staff and visitors will be developed by NHS England, NHS Improvement and Public Health England.

Building healthier communities

The Health Foundation has published Building healthier communities: the role of the NHS as an anchor institution.  This report explores how NHS organisations act as anchor institutions.  

Tackling loneliness

Emergency admissions to hospital from care homes: how often and what for?

The Health Foundation have published a new briefing, which includes national analysis of emergency hospital use by care home residents and evaluations of four local sites where the NHS is working in partnership with care homes to step up the support they receive. Encouraging results, including decreases in potentially avoidable emergency admissions to hospital of up to 27%, and reductions in A&E visits of up to 29% from care home residents, were found across three of the four sites.   

Prehabiliitation for people with cancer

The Royal College of Anaesthetists, Macmillan Cancer Support, and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Cancer and Nutrition Collaboration have published Prehabilitation for people with cancer: principles and guidance for prehabilitation within the management and support of people with cancer.  This document calls for changes to the delivery of cancer care across the UK, with a greater focus on prehabilitation including nutrition, physical activity and psychological support.

A learning and just culture for staff and patients

Refugee and asylum seeker health resource

The British Medical Association has published a Refugee and asylum seeker health resource to help doctors understand their specific health needs and how to overcome common barriers when accessing healthcare.  It contains links to useful resources and relevant organisations.

Waiting times for elective and cancer treatment

Prevention - a life course approach

The King’s Fund has published Clicks and mortar: technology and the NHS estate.  This report examines how current developments in technology in the NHS are affecting the NHS estate (primary, community and adult sectors) and identifies the opportunities technology may create for the estate in future.  It suggests STPs and ICSs will play a key role in planning technology and the estate across organisations.

Reducing the risk of dementia

The World Health Organisation’s Regional Office for Europe has published Risk reduction of cognitive decline and dementia.  These WHO guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations on lifestyle behaviours and interventions to delay or prevent cognitive decline and dementia.  They are intended as a tool for health care providers, governments, policy-makers and other stakeholders to strengthen their response to the dementia challenge.

Number of GPs in the UK

The Nuffield Trust has carried out an analysis of the number of GPs in the UK.  The analysis draws on published data and indicates the number of GPs relative to the size of the population has fallen in a sustained way for the first time since the 1960s.  The fall has been particularly marked in certain regions of England.

The improvement journey

The Healthcare Foundation have published 'The Improvement Journey: Why organisation-wide improvement in health care matters, and how to get started'. This is a practical guide to developing an organisation-wide approach to improvement. It shows why this approach is critical to becoming a high performing organisation and delivering the NHS Long Term Plan.

Links between oral health and general health

The Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons has published a position statement on oral health and general health.  The statement highlights the links between oral health and general health, including conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and makes recommendations about how the oral health profession can play a broader role in prevention.

Patient incentives in health care

Reducing long hospital stays

NHS Improvement has published a Guide to reducing long hospital stays.  This guide offers practical steps and tactics to support the NHS and partners to use an optimal approach to managing hospital length of stay.  Accompanying the guide are a number of case studies and other resources.

Getting hospital discharge right

The British Red Cross have published 'Getting hospital discharge right'. The report sets out recommendations to improve care when patients return home from hospital.

Early diagnosis of cancer

The Department of Health and Social Care has announced plans for the earlier diagnosis of cancer.  As part of the long-term plan for the NHS, a package of measures will be rolled out across the country with the aim of seeing 3 out of 4 of all cancers detected at an early stage by 2028.  The plan will: overhaul screening programmes, provide new investment in state-of-the-art technology to transform the process of diagnosis, and boost research and innovation.

Physical activity in Europe

The World Health Organisation as published a set of physical activity factsheets providing an updated overview of the epidemiology of physical inactivity, national policy responses and current monitoring and surveillance systems across the WHO European Region.

Integrated care systems

Seamless services

The NHS Confederation has published Seamless services to improve outcomes for people.  The briefing provides an insight into the aims of providing seamless services and showcases the different ways health and care are now delivered.

The NHS funding settlement and ten year plan

Rethinking outpatient services

The Nuffield Trust has published Rethinking outpatient services: learning from an interactive workshop. This briefing summarises learning from an event to hear from people who had made significant changes to their outpatient services about what they did and the impact it had to date.  It focuses on three areas: how patients were referred to outpatient services, what happened when they were there, and follow-up care.

Major trauma centres

The Trauma Audit and Research Network has published Changing the system: major trauma patients and their outcomes in the NHS (England) 2008-17.  The findings show the creation of major traumas centres has led to the survival of more than 1,600 patients who have suffered some of the most severe and complicated injuries. Patients also spent fewer days in hospital and had improved quality of life after receiving critical care.

Impact of new medicines

The Office of Health Economics has published The impact of new medicines in the NHS: 70 years of innovation.  The report demonstrates the contribution and impact of medicines to the health economy in the UK throughout the 70-year history of the NHS. 

Reducing ethnic health inequalities

Public Health England has published Local action on health inequalities: understanding and reducing ethnic inequalities in health.  This report provides guidance to support local and national action on ethnic inequalities in health. 

Toolkit for a sustainable health workforce

The World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe has published The toolkit for a sustainable health workforce in the WHO European Region (2018). The toolkit is aimed at policy-makers, human resources for health (HRH) planners and professionals, and other stakeholders, such as education institutions and those implementing policy.

Learning from ‘Never Events’

The Care Quality Commission has published an update on work to review issues that contribute to the occurrence of Never Events.  These slides provide an update to the work currently underway and list some of the main themes which are starting to emerge.

Celebrating 70 years of the NHS - Individuals who have made a difference

The Care Quality Commission has published 70 case studies highlighting individuals who have gone ‘over and above’ and made a significant impact on the care people receive across health and social care services.  The case studies cover acute trusts, mental health trusts, primary care and social care.

Impact of new technology on the NHS

The Health Foundation, Institute for Fiscal Studies, The King’s Fund and the Nuffield Trust have published the final briefing in their series marking 70 years of the NHS.  What will new technology mean for the NHS and its patients? looks at the uptake and potential of the following trends in technology: genomics and precision medicine; remote care; technology supported self-management such as apps and wearables; and data analytics and artificial intelligence.

Leadership of allied health professions in trusts

NHS Improvement has published Leadership of allied health professions in trusts: what exists and what matters. The report describes evidence from NHS providers, and its primary audience is intended to be board members and AHPs within those trusts.

Response to major incidents

The NHS Confederation has published 'When tragedy strikes: reflections on the NHS response to the Manchester Arena bombing and Grenfell Tower fire'.  This document summarise interviews to capture learning from the NHS response to these events in 2017 and draws out key issues for leaders to consider.

Childhood obesity

The Health and Social Care Select Committee has published Childhood obesity: time for action. The Government is expected to publish shortly a refreshed version of the childhood obesity plan. This report outlines the key areas which demand attention as a matter of urgency by the Government before the next chapter of the plan is finalised.

Workforce Health and Wellbeing Framework

NHS Employers, NHS England and NHS Improvement have launched a Workforce Health and Wellbeing Framework.  This framework brings together best practice, research and insights to help NHS organisations improve staff health and wellbeing.

Mapping the NHS winter

NHS Providers has published its final overview of its Winter watch series Mapping the NHS winter.  This briefing presents the winter of 2017/18 in numbers and looks at pressures on the ambulance service, pressures in A&E, capacity and what can be done to ensure the health service is ready next winter. 

NHS Cyber security

The Department of Health and Social Care has announced new measures to strengthen NHS cyber security. The measures include a new deal with Microsoft to ensure all health and care organisations are using the latest Windows 10 software, a new digital security operations centre, upgrades to firewalls and network infrastructure, a data security and protection toolkit and a text messaging alert system in the event of internet and email services outages.

Lord Darzi review of health and care

Reducing waste

The Royal College of Physicians has published Less waste more health: a health professionals guide to reducing waste.  This report explains how health professionals can positively influence societal health and wellbeing by making simple changes to the procurement and disposal of medical supplies.  It contains a range of case studies and makes 12 recommendations

Emotional and mental health needs of people with cancer

The Mental Health Foundation has published Supporting the emotional and mental health needs of people with cancer.  This research explores the emotional and mental health needs of people living with cancer in Scotland.  It identifies the major negative impacts of cancer on mental health, how effective support can be delivered, the barriers to support, and the unmet mental health support needs.

NHS delivery in 2018/19

NHS Providers has published the report Tough Task: The NHS delivering for patients and staff in 2018/19. The report presents an assessment of the challenges facing NHS trusts in the coming financial year. Based on analysis of the most recent official data and a survey of NHS trust leaders, the report looks at the ability of the service to meet performance and financial targets in 2018/19.

Water fluoridation

Public Health England has published Water fluoridation: health monitoring report for England 2018.  This 2018 monitoring report compares data on the health of people living in areas of England with varying concentrations of fluoride in their drinking water supply.  It shows water fluoridation helps reduce tooth decay and that there is no convincing evidence of adverse health effects.

NHS Reality Check 2018

The Royal College of Physicians has published NHS Reality Check: update 2018.  This report presents the views of over 1500 doctors working in the NHS who provided their experiences of delivering care.

NHS workforce race equality

NHS England has published NHS workforce race equality: a case for diverse boards.  This report highlights the importance of inclusive boards in the NHS and provides guidance on working towards creating inclusive cultures.

Reducing emergency admissions

The National Audit Office has published Reducing emergency admissions.  The report examines progress that the Department of Health & Social Care, NHS England, NHS Improvement and other stakeholders are making in reducing the impact of emergency admissions on acute hospitals. The report takes a whole-system approach, and looks at action across acute, primary, community and social care systems.

Cancer strategy

The House of Commons Library has published Cancer strategy.  This debate pack outlines progress so far in implementing the cancer strategy and provides statistics on survival rates and the NHS cancer workforce.  It also collates commentary and analysis from official, parliamentary and third sector organisations.

Staff wellbeing and patient experience of care

Picker and The King’s Fund have published 'The risks to care quality and staff wellbeing of an NHS system under pressure'.  This analysis considers the relationships between the self-reported experiences and wellbeing of NHS staff, measures of workforce pressures in the health system, and patients’ experiences of their care.  The report suggests there are relationships between staff wellbeing, patient experiences of their care, and the proportion of money NHS trusts spend on agency workers.

State of child health

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has published State of Child Health: one year on.  These scorecards describe progress against recommendations made a year ago in the RCPCH’s State of Child Health report.  The England scorecard reveals progress in some areas but no improvement in several fundamental areas. In particular, public health spending cuts are disproportionately affecting children’s services.

Never Events policy and framework

NHS Improvement has revised the Never Events policy and framework and Never Events list 2018.  The policy and framework explains what Never Events are, how staff providing and commissioning NHS-funded services should identify, investigate and manage the response to them. These documents will become active upon initiation of the update to the 2017-2018 NHS Standard Contract on 1 February 2018.

Royal commission on the NHS

The Centre for Policy Studies has published A Royal Commission on the NHS: the remit.  This document sets out how the setting up of a Royal Commission could ensure the NHS delivers the best outcomes on a sustainable financial basis over the coming years.  A Royal Commission would examine the structure, organisation and funding of the health service, taking evidence and making policy recommendations.

Delayed transfers of care

The King’s Fund has published Delayed transfers of care: a quick guide.  This article defines delayed transfers of care and looks at how they are measured, why they occur and their impact on the wider health system.

Dignity in health care for people with learning disabilities

The Royal College of Nursing has published Dignity in health care for people with learning disabilities. This guidance aims to improve dignity in health care for people with learning disabilities.  It is designed particularly to support the nursing workforce but other health care and social care staff may find this useful.

Ready and resilient? How NHS trusts have prepared for winter

This briefing by NHS Providers sets out what has been done locally and nationally to ensure safe, high quality care for patients over the winter period.   It also highlights continuing difficulties and pressures that could impact on trusts’ ability to cope. 

Safer maternity care
The Department of Health has now published Safer Maternity Care: the National Maternity Safety Strategy progress and next steps.  This document reports on progress and next steps with implementation of the safer maternity care action plan and sets out measures for further and quicker improvement. 

Nutritional care tool report
The BAPEN Quality and Safety Committee has published Nutritional Care Tool Report 2017. It provides organisational-level data on how nutritional care is organised and patient-level data on the quality of nutrition in hospitals, care homes and community organisations.

EU doctor survey 2017

The British Medical Association has published the results of the EU doctor survey 2017.  The results show that nearly half of all EU doctors working in the UK are considering leaving the UK, with almost one in five having solid plans to relocate elsewhere. 

Embedding a culture of quality improvement
The King’s Fund has published a new report which includes learning from organisations that have adopted quality improvement approaches.  It focuses on how senior leaders can create the right conditions for quality improvement to flourish within health care. 

Improving patient access to breakthrough technologies and treatments in a cost-effective model
The Department of Health and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy  have announced a new fast-track route into the NHS for “breakthrough” medicines and technologies. This will speed up the time it takes for patients to benefit from ground-breaking products for conditions such as cancer, dementia and diabetes. This Policy paper is a joint response to the Accelerated Access Review (AAR), setting out how government will improve patient access to breakthrough treatments.

Thriving at work

The Department of Work and Pensions and the Department of Health have published Thriving at work: the Stevenson/Farmer review of mental health and employers.  This independent review sets out what employers can do to better support all employees to remain in and thrive through work.  The review quantifies how investing in supporting mental health at work is good for business and productivity and makes a series of recommendation for employers, the government and other bodies.

The State of Care

The Care Quality Commission has published The state of health care and adult social care in England 2016/17.  This report provides an analysis of the quality of health and social care in England based on the first full round of rated inspections covering nearly 29,000 services. 

What happens when people leave hospital and other care settings? 
This briefing from Healthwatch brings together a summary of the experiences over 2000 people have shared with local Healthwatch during the last two years relating to leaving hospital and other care settings.  Although there are many positive experiences, the briefing highlights there is still significant work to be done to ensure discharge is a good experience for everyone.

Engineering better care

The Royal Academy of Engineering, the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal College of Physicians have published Engineering better care: a systems approach to health and care design and continuous improvement.  This report explores how an engineering approach could be applied in health and social care to develop systems that meet the needs of patients, carers and NHS staff. 

Health Service Safety Investigations Bill

The Department of Health has published a bill proposing setting up a new independent healthcare safety investigation body to improve patient safety. 

Partnerships for improvement: ingredients for success
This report by The Health Foundation discusses NHS organisational partnerships. It focuses on five different partnering arrangements, as well as interviews with national leaders, and draws learning to help inform and guide policymakers and providers.   

The bottom line:  Understanding the NHS deficit and why it won’t go away
This briefing by The Nuffield Trust reveals the true underlying state of the NHS’s finances today, and outlines prospects for the next three to four years.

Improving older people's oral health
The Royal College of Surgeons Faculty of Dental Surgery has published 'Improving older people’s oral health'.  This report raises concerns about the impact that poor oral health is having on older people’s general health and quality of life.

Work related mental health problems
New survey results from Mind show that men are twice as likely to have work-related mental health problems compared to problems outside of work.