The Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) programme is a large-scale programme developed by the Department of Health to drive forward quality improvements in NHS care, at the same time as making up to £20 billion of efficiency savings by 2014/15.1 QIPP represents a broad, policy agenda rather than a …
The Department of Health (DH) has again been forced to deny that a measure in the NHS Operating Framework for 2012-13, published on 24 November 2011, could introduce price competition between hospitals for elective procedures.1 In the past, there have been a number of systems by which NHS hospitals are …
Vaccination1 works by exposing an individual to a killed or weakened infectious organism or part of an organism, usually via injection. This stimulates the immune system to respond quicker to future exposure to that organism, preventing the disease or reducing its severity. Risks of naturally acquired infection are avoided. Many …
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the UK and accounts for one third of all deaths in this country. It is estimated that 2.6 million people in the UK are living with cardiovascular disease.1 Smoking, obesity, poor diet and lack of physical exercise are major causes of …
Following the listening exercise carried out by the NHS Future Forum, the government has pledged that the economic regulator, Monitor, will additionally now be required to support the delivery of integrated patient services, rather than solely promoting competition between providers.1 During the listening exercise, a large number of organisations reportedly …
We are all at risk of adverse events when we use healthcare service and we all stand to benefit from preventing them. ‘Never events’ are “serious, largely preventable patient safety incidents that should not occur if the available preventative measures have been implemented by healthcare providers”.1 Eight ‘never events’ were …
To improve healthcare quality, performance targets are to be replaced by outcome measures, as detailed in recent government consultations.1,2 Quality of healthcare can be measured in terms of structure, process and outcomes.3 In recent years the NHS has largely relied on setting targets for structural and process measures. Examples of …
The government has proposed to reorganise the way public health services are delivered in England.1 At a National level this will involve the creation of a new body, within the Department of Health, called Public Health England. At a local level, health improvement functions will move into local authorities (LAs) …
The NHS White Paper, Liberating the NHS, sets out the government’s intention to give patients ‘more fundamental control’ over their care and treatment, including a choice of any willing provider and named consultant-led team for elective care. 1 This builds on previous work to extend choice within the English NHS, …
Cancer treatment has developed substantially in recent years, leading to improved outcomes and quality of life of life for patients. However, it has also led to increased cost and capacity pressures for the NHS. There is evidence to suggest that the UK lags behind the rest of Europe for access …