The healthcare inspectorate said that 'significant improvements' had been made in healthcare services: but further progress was needed. Patients were positive about hospital services overall: but some organizations performed poorly, and there were concerns about aspects of care such as dignity and privacy. There had been dramatic improvements in waiting times: but there were hidden waits for some services, which were not measured and therefore difficult to address. National Health Service trusts were performing better overall on quality of services: but the performance of primary care trusts had declined. The NHS often failed to meet the needs of children and young people, and there were concerns about other groups requiring specialist care, such as people with mental health problems and those with learning difficulties.
Source: State of Healthcare 2007: Improvements and challenges in services in England and Wales, HC 97, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | CHAI press release | Kings Fund press release | NHS Confederation press release | Mind press release | MHF press release | Help the Aged press release | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2007-Dec
Researchers used further evidence to confirm previous findings that healthcare spending in England had an important impact on health across a range of conditions.
Source: Stephen Martin, Nigel Rice and Peter Smith, Further Evidence on the Link Between Health Care Spending and Health Outcomes in England, Research Paper 32, Centre for Health Economics/University of York (01904 433648)
Links: Paper
Date: 2007-Dec
A report examined the processes and actions that had proved to be most effective in bringing about and sustaining improvement in social and healthcare services. It focused on the three key areas of leadership, employee involvement and participation, and stakeholder involvement and participation.
Source: Rebecca Fauth and Michelle Mahdon, Knowledge Review 16, Improving Social and Health Care Services, Social Care Institute for Excellence (020 7089 6840)
Date: 2007-Nov
The government responded to a report by a joint committee of MPs and peers on the human rights of older people in healthcare. It said that it was considering whether there was a case for prohibiting age discrimination in the provision of goods and services.
Source: Government Response to the Committee's Eighteenth Report of Session 2006-07: The Human Rights of Older People in Healthcare, First Report (Session 2007-08), HL 5 and HC 72, Joint Committee on Human Rights (House of Lords and House of Commons), TSO (0870 600 5522)
Date: 2007-Nov
The government published a Health and Social Care Bill, and the Bill was given a second reading. The Bill was designed to create an integrated regulator, the Care Quality Commission, which would be responsible for providing assurance about patient safety and the quality of care in the health and social services. The Bill also included measures to enhance professional regulation in the National Health Service.
Source: Health and Social Care Bill, Department of Health, TSO | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 26 November 2007, columns 37-105, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | HOC research brief | Hansard (second reading) | Impact assessments | DH press release | CHAI press release | Kings Fund press release | BMA press release | GMC press release | RPSGB press release | Age Concern press release | MHF press release | Carers UK press release | RNHA press release | Liberal Democrats press release | Guardian report | BBC report | Telegraph report | Community Care report
Date: 2007-Nov
A think-tank report used the concept of 'avoidable mortality' to analyze the performance of the National Health Service in respect of the biggest 'killers', cancer and circulatory disease, focusing on the years 1999-2005. It found that real improvements had been made, and that performance had compared quite favourably with other European countries of comparable development. But there were two particular causes for concern: the rate of improvement in avoidable cancer mortality had fallen since 1999, at odds with trends since 1979; and avoidable mortality from circulatory disease remained very high.
Source: James Gubb, Just How Well Are We? A glance at trends in avoidable mortality from cancer and circulatory disease in England & Wales, Civitas (020 7401 5470)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Nov
A report said that fewer than half the patients admitted to accident and emergency departments with severe injuries were given adequate care.
Source: Trauma: Who Cares?, National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (020 7631 3444)
Links: Report | Summary | NHS Confederation press release | BMA press release | Telegraph report | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2007-Nov
A report examined the competing sources of data and methodologies for the calculation of hospital output in the National Health Service.
Source: Richard Willmer and Christopher Little, Review of Data Sources and Methodology for the Calculation of Hospital Output, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Oct
A report examined different methods of incorporating quality adjustments when measuring National Health Service output. It presented a model based on the assumption that quality of healthcare had two important aspects: health benefits, and patient experience.
Source: Keith Derbyshire, Panos Zerdevas, Robert Unsworth and Michael Haslam, Further Developments in Measuring Quality Adjusted Healthcare Output, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Oct
A report said that the United Kingdom healthcare service ranked 17th out of 29 European countries in 2007 – a poorer performance than in 2006. Despite class-leading performance in patient information, the system fell down on other major key indicators of quality, including waiting times.
Source: Euro Health Consumer Index 2007, Health Consumer Powerhouse (+32 2218 7393)
Links: Report | HCP press release | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Oct
The healthcare inspectorate published the 2006-07 annual health check ratings for every National Health Service trust in England. The results showed 'clear improvement' overall, with more trusts scoring 'excellent', and fewer scoring 'fair' or 'weak'. In all, 1 in 3 trusts improved the quality of services, and a similar proportion improved the use of resources. The inspectorate pledged to continue tough action in trusts that were failing to put adequate systems in place to tackle healthcare-associated infections.
Source: The Annual Health Check 2006/2007: A national overview of the performance of NHS trusts in England, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200)
Links: Report | CHAI press release (1) | CHAI press release (2) | DH press release | BMA press release | Monitor press release | NHS Alliance press release | Consumer Association press release | Liberal Democrats press release | Guardian report | Telegraph report | BBC report
Date: 2007-Oct
The healthcare inspectorate found wide variation in the way complaints were dealt with in the National Health Service, and a failure to act on problems they revealed. In some cases trusts had failed to safeguard the care of patients who had registered complaints.
Source: Complaints Handling in the NHS: Is anyone listening?, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200)
Links: Report | CHAI press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Oct
A paper examined the effect of the target regime for waiting times for hospital care in England after 2001 by a comparative analysis with Scotland, a neighbouring country with the same healthcare system that did not adopt the target regime. Comparisons between England and Scotland were sensitive to whether published or unpublished data were used: but, regardless of the data source, the so-called 'targets and terror' regime in England lowered the proportion of people waiting for planned treatment relative to Scotland.
Source: Carol Propper, Matt Sutton, Carolyn Whitnall and Frank Windmeijer, Did 'Targets and Terror' Reduce English Waiting Times for Elective Hospital Care?, Working Paper 07/179, Centre for Market and Public Organisation/University of Bristol (0117 954 6943)
Links: Working paper
Date: 2007-Oct
The government announced (following consultation) that a new 'super-regulator' for health and adult social care services would be established – replacing the existing Healthcare Commission, Commission for Social Care Inspection, and Mental Health Act Commission.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 24 October 2007, columns 9-11WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard | DH press release | Consultation responses | CHAI press release | MHAC press release | BMA press release | Age Concern press release | ADASS press release | UKHCA press release | Personnel Today report | Guardian report | BBC report | Telegraph report | Community Care report
Date: 2007-Oct
The healthcare inspectorate said that only a minority of hospital trusts inspected were found to have fully complied with all standards relating to dignity, privacy, and nutrition in the care of elderly people.
Source: Caring for Dignity: A national report on dignity in care for older people while in hospital, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200)
Links: Report | CHAI press release | Age Concern press release | Help the Aged press release | NHS Confederation press release | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report | Personnel Today report
Date: 2007-Sep
A think tank published a comprehensive assessment of the 50 per cent real-terms increase in National Health Service spending since 2002. It examined how the extra money had been spent; what the National Health Service had achieved; and whether the pace and direction of government reform had delivered value for money. Increases in funding had delivered notable improvements: more staff and equipment; improved infrastructure; significantly reduced waiting times and better access to care; and improved care in coronary heart disease, cancer, stroke, and mental health. However, the additional funding had not produced the improvements in productivity assumed in the original 2002 Wanless review.
Source: Derek Wanless, John Appleby, Anthony Harrison and Darshan Patel, Our Future Health Secured? A review of NHS funding and performance, King's Fund (020 7307 2591)
Links: Report | Summary | King's Fund press release | BMA press release | NHS Confederation press release | NHS Alliance press release | NHF press release | FT report | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2007-Sep
An audit report said that the National Health Service in Scotland could improve the care it gave to people with long-term illnesses by targeting resources better, and further developing community-based services.
Source: Managing Long-term Conditions, Audit Scotland for Accounts Commission and Auditor General (0131 477 1234)
Links: Report | Audit Scotland press release | BBC report
Date: 2007-Aug
The healthcare inspectorate published its annual report for 2006-07.
Source: Annual Report 2006/2007, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Jul
The health services ombudsman said that she had uncovered recurrent 'deficiencies' in the treatment of older people by the National Health Service.
Source: Annual Report 2006-07: Putting principles into practice, HC 838, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | PHSO press release | Community Care report
Date: 2007-Jul
The government announced that it planned to introduce a Health and Social Care Bill. The Bill would be designed to improve regulation of health and social care providers. A new regulator – to be known as Ofcare – would be created in 2008. Ofcare would replace the Healthcare Commission, Mental Health Act Commission, and Commission for Social Care Inspection. The bodies which regulated doctors would be required to apply the civil, rather than the criminal, standard of proof in disciplinary cases.
Source: The Governance of Britain: The Government?s Draft Legislative Programme, Cm 7175, Leader of the House of Commons, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Statement | Hansard | LGA press release | BMA press release | NCF press release | Age Concern press release | BBC report
Date: 2007-Jul
A briefing reviewed the work undertaken by the Audit Commission over the previous two years in the areas of health and well-being. The health of individuals and communities had improved over the previous ten years: but health inequalities between social groups and communities persisted, and in some cases were widening.
Source: Improving Health and Well-being, Audit Commission (0800 502030)
Links: Briefing
Date: 2007-Jul
A think-tank report examined the experience of trying measure the performance of healthcare services. The practice of giving overall ratings for individual hospital trusts since 2000 had led to 'simplistic' assessments, and had left gaps in the information available below the level of the hospital. Nothing was known about the outcomes of most patients discharged from National Health Service hospitals.
Source: Richard Hamblin and Janan Ganesh, Measure for Measure: Using outcome measures to raise standards in the NHS, Policy Exchange (020 7340 2650)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Jul
The healthcare inspectorate offered reassurance about the quality of services provided in independent sector treatment centres, and said that patients rated services highly. However, it said that there were still too many gaps in the data to consistently compare the quality of care in ISTCs with that of the National Health Service.
Source: Independent Sector Treatment Centres: A review of the quality of care, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200)
Links: Report | CHAI press release | UNISON press release | NHS Confederation press release | BMA press release | CBI press release | BBC report | Telegraph report
Date: 2007-Jul
A report examined the progress made in the development of health scrutiny within eight case studies. The cases overall provided reasonably effective scrutiny over health, given the still early stage of development.
Source: Carole Johnson et al., Scrutinising for Health: Health scrutiny evaluative research project, Centre for Public Scrutiny (020 7296 6595)
Date: 2007-Jul
A survey found that 8 out of 10 people in Northern Ireland were happy with the health and social care services they received in 2006.
Source: Donal McDade, Public Attitudes to Health and Social Services in Northern Ireland (2006), Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety/Northern Ireland Executive (028 9052 0500)
Links: Report | NIE press release
Date: 2007-Jun
Statistics for March 2007 indicated progress by the National Health Service in England towards the target of cutting the maximum wait from family doctor visit to operation to 18 weeks by the end of 2008. 48 per cent of patients were seen within the 18-week target, and a further 29 per cent were treated within 36 weeks: but 12 per cent had waited more than a year. The average wait was around 25 weeks.
Source: Statistical press release 7 June 2007, Department of Health (020 7210 4850)
Links: Statistical press release | DH press release | NHS Confederation press release | Kings Fund press release | FT report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Jun
The Chief Executive of the National Health Service published his annual report for 2006-07.
Source: David Nicholson, The Year: NHS Chief Executive?s annual report, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Jun
The healthcare inspectorate said that more than 9 in 10 hospital inpatients in England reported a positive experience of their care, rating it as 'excellent', 'very good', or 'good'.
Source: Inpatients: The Views of Hospital Inpatients in England - Key findings from the 2006 survey, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200)
Links: Report | CHAI press release | DH press release | BMA press release | RCGP press release | BBC report
Date: 2007-May
An article examined methods to measure output and productivity in the delivery of health services, with an application to the National Health Service hospital sector. It developed a theoretical framework for measuring quality-adjusted outputs and then considered how this might be implemented, given available data.
Source: Adriana Castelli et al., 'A new approach to measuring health system output and productivity', National Institute Economic Review Volume 200 Number 1, National Institute for Economic and Social Research (020 7654 1901)
Links: Abstract
Date: 2007-Apr
Four reports by leading clinical experts set out the progress made for patients in key areas of the National Health Service service over the previous decade.
Source: Louis Appleby (National Clinical Lead for Mental Health), Ten Years On: Progress on mental health care reform, Department of Health (08701 555455) | Roger Boyle (National Clinical Director for Heart Disease and Stroke), Coronary Heart Disease Ten Years On: Improving heart health, Department of Health | George Alberti (National Director for Emergency Access), Emergency Care Ten Years On: Reforming emergency care, Department of Health | Mike Richards (National Cancer Director), Cancer Ten Years On: Improvements across the whole care pathway, Department of Health
Links: Appleby Report | Boyle Report | Alberti Report | Richards Report | DH press release | PM Speech | Kings Fund briefing | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Apr
A report described how the National Health Service had performed through the (relatively mild) winter period of 2006-2007. It said that the achievement of staff had been 'outstanding'.
Source: Winter Report 2006-2007, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Apr
A report said that there was a major difference in the death rates at hospitals in England. Patients at the hospital with the worst rate were twice as likely to die as those at the top-ranked hospital.
Source: How Healthy Is Your Hospital?, Dr Foster Intelligence (020 7332 8800)
Links: Report | NHS Confederation press release | BBC report
Date: 2007-Apr
A trade union report said that patients were being harmed by job cuts in the nursing profession caused by continuing National Health Service deficits.
Source: Our NHS - Today and Tomorrow, Royal College of Nursing (020 7409 3333)
Links: Report | NHS Employers press release | BBC report
Date: 2007-Apr
Researchers found a strong positive link between healthcare expenditure in England and health outcomes across primary care trusts.
Source: Stephen Martin, Nigel Rice and Peter Smith, The Link Between Health Care Spending and Health Outcomes: Evidence from English programme budgeting data, Research Paper 24, Centre for Health Economics/University of York (01904 433648)
Links: Paper
Date: 2007-Mar
A report said that people with learning difficulties were dying prematurely because of institutional discrimination and ignorance within the National Health Service. The government responded by ordering an independent inquiry into the cases highlighted.
Source: Death by Indifference, Mencap (020 7454 0454)
Links: Report | Mencap press release (1) | Mencap press release (2) | CHAI press release | DRC press release | RCPsych press release | BBC report | Community Care report (1) | Community Care report (2)
Date: 2007-Mar
A report said that the National Health Service was overburdened by inspections by at least 56 different bodies. Visits by watchdogs and requests for information could be uncoordinated and place unnecessary burdens on the health service.
Source: The Bureaucratic Burden in the NHS, NHS Confederation (020 7959 7272)
Links: Report | NHS Confederation press release | BBC report
Date: 2007-Mar
A report by a committee of the National Assembly for Wales said that the performance of the Welsh Ambulance Trust was 'appalling' and 'unacceptable'.
Source: Ambulance Services in Wales, Audit Committee/National Assembly for Wales (029 2082 5111)
Links: Report | WAO paper | BBC report
Date: 2007-Mar
A report examined the effectiveness of new scrutiny machinery in the National Health Service.
Source: Patricia Day and Rudolf Klein, The Politics of Scrutiny: Reconfiguration in NHS England, Nuffield Trust (020 631 8450)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Feb
A report examined the extent to which regulatory mechanisms affected the quality of healthcare. It said that inspections, targets, standards, and mandatory reporting could make a difference to the quality of healthcare.
Source: Sheila Leatherman and Kim Sutherland, Regulation and Quality Improvement: A review of the evidence, Health Foundation (020 7257 8000)
Links: Report | Summary | Health Foundation press release
Date: 2007-Feb
A report said that accident and emergency departments in England were struggling to sustain the 4-hour access target, because a shortage of hospital beds was delaying the admission of patients.
Source: Emergency Medicine: Report of national survey of emergency medicine, British Medical Association (020 7387 4499)
Links: Report | BMA press release | BBC report
Date: 2007-Jan
The healthcare inspectorate said that outmoded, institutionalized care had led to the neglect of people with learning disabilities at a south London primary care trust. Some of the environments in which people lived were 'impoverished and completely unsatisfactory'. Staff were not properly trained or supported to provide an acceptable level of care, and inadequate levels of staff meant that people were often left, day in day out, with little to occupy their time. There were failures in management and leadership at all levels, from managers to the trust?s board.
Source: Investigation into the Service for People with Learning Disabilities Provided by Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200)
Links: Report | Summary | CHAI press release | Turning Point press release | Skills for Care press release | RCPsych press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Community Care report
Date: 2007-Jan
An audit report said that almost all primary care trusts had clinical governance structures and processes in place that should assure the quality and safety of patient care. But progress in the implementation of these structures and processes varied within and between trusts. More needed to be done to provide assurance about family doctor performance and protect patient safety.
Source: Improving Quality and Safety: Progress in implementing clinical governance in primary care - lessons for the new primary care trusts, HC 100 (Session 2006-07), National Audit Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | NAO press release | NHS Alliance press release | BBC report
Date: 2007-Jan
The healthcare inspectorate examined the recurring themes in complaints sent to it for independent review between July 2004 and July 2006. It urged National Health Service trusts to do more to learn from patients' complaints, and to handle the issues raised 'quickly, efficiently and locally'.
Source: Spotlight on Complaints: A report on second-stage complaints about the NHS in England, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200)
Links: Report | CHAI press release | NHS Alliance press release | Age Concern press release | Consumer Association press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Jan