Care Pathways

The difference NICE is making for cancer patients

28.03.18: Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive and director of health & social care at NICE, describes the efficiency work taking place as part of the organisation’s new cancer impact report. Over the years, NICE has been involved...

Galvanising local care systems

21.03.18: Amanda Sullivan, SRO of the Mid-Nottinghamshire Better Together vanguard, tells NHE’s Josh Mines about their work to create an innovative integrated care system in the area. Vanguards in 50 areas across England have been leading...

UK’s largest alternative medicine hospital to stop offering NHS-funded homeopathy

14.03.18: One the last facilities in the UK to offer NHS-funded homeopathic medicine is to stop supporting the controversial treatment, it was announced this week. The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (RLHIM), has told patients it can no...

Scale of emergency admissions poses ‘serious challenge’ to NHS services and finances

02.03.18: A worrying National Audit Office (NAO) report has revealed that rising numbers of emergency hospital admissions are posing ‘serious challenges’ to NHS services. Emergency admissions cost the service £13.7bn in 2015-16 and...

A third of people with dementia diagnosis don’t get NHS follow-up support

13.02.18: Thousands of patients are not getting the follow-up care they are entitled to following a dementia diagnosis, a charity has said. According to Age UK, over one in three people with the condition don’t have a care plan, despite the NHS...

Beyond scented candles and quick fixes

07.02.18: Joni Jabbal, researcher at The King’s Fund, asks why quality improvements and innovations are failing to be adopted by the NHS. There is now good evidence that embedding a quality improvement approach – where you systematically...

Opening up care for everybody

07.02.18: Healthwatch chair Jane Mordue talks about how services in Dudley have been made more accessible for patients with sensory impairments.  Going to hospital or to your GP for an appointment can be stressful at the best of times, so it&rsq...

STPs to assume ‘increasingly prominent role’ in 2018-19 service improvements

05.02.18: NHS England has reiterated its priorities for the next financial year, including continued investment in mental health and moving further towards better integrated models of care. In the Refreshing NHS Plans 2018-19 document, plans for the...

Winter pressures deepen as bed occupancy hits staggering 95%

21.12.17: The latest winter operation update published by NHS England has revealed that average bed occupancy rose to 95% last week. Bed occupancy was already exceeding safe levels, running close to 95% the previous week. Director of policy and strate...

CQC: Beyond traditional boundaries

29.11.17: Professor Ted Baker, chief inspector of hospitals at the CQC, discusses the mixed findings of this year’s major State of Care report. This year’s State of Care report presents an analysis of the quality of health and social care...

‘Unique’ new programme to help trusts move towards STP structures

25.09.17: A major programme of work has been launched this week by NHS Providers to put support and a strong advocate in place for trusts moving to accountable care structures. The programme of support has been created to help leaders of trusts, sust...

DH tables regulation changes to ease development of ACOs

13.09.17: New changes to regulations on the running of NHS standard contracts for Accountable Care Organisations (ACOs) have been tabled by the government this week. The changes will ensure that current rules continue to apply to the new contract, an...

NHS will ‘unleash full innovation potential’ with new drugs and test beds

12.09.17: Simon Stevens has urged the NHS to “unleash the full potential of innovation in treatment and commissioning” as part of a series of announcements that will see new biosimilar treatments introduced into the health service and drug pri...

STPs could either help or hinder the ‘promising’ primary care home service model

29.08.17: The nascent primary care home (PCH) model – designed to connect staff from general practice, community-based services, hospitals, mental health services, social care and voluntary organisations to deliver joined-up care for groups of betwe...

Bed occupancy rate drops in Q1, but DToC rate ‘does not bode well’ for winter

25.08.17: Pressure has eased on bed occupancy in Q1, but Delayed Transfers of Care (DToC) for patients who are fit to move to community care has remained “stubbornly high”. Figures released by NHS England for the quarter ending 30 June fo...