The Department of Health published its autumn 2008 performance report, showing progress against its public service agreement targets.
Source: Autumn Performance Report 2008, Cm 7519, Department of Health, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Dec
An audit report said that the National Health Service in Wales was not providing services that fully supported the effective management of adults with a chronic condition. Too many patients with chronic conditions were treated in an unplanned way in acute hospitals, while the large numbers of community services were poorly co-ordinated and insufficiently integrated, leading to an inconsistent service for patients.
Source: The Management of Chronic Conditions by NHS Wales, Wales Audit Office (029 2026 0260)
Links: Report | WAO press release | BBC report
Date: 2008-Dec
A think-tank report examined the scale and nature of the problems patients experienced. Although patient surveys showed high levels of satisfaction, more detailed studies, and stories from patients themselves, indicates a much patchier picture. There were a number of problems, including variations in the quality of care and the need for staff to 'see the person in the patient'.
Source: Joanna Goodrich and Jocelyn Cornwell, Seeing the Person in the Patient: The Point of Care review paper, King's Fund (020 7307 2591)
Links: Report | King's Fund press release | RCN press release
Date: 2008-Dec
The healthcare inspectorate said that there had been sustained improvements in meeting the government's standards and targets, with dramatic improvement in waiting times. But there were a small number of trusts 'trapped at a level of performance that was unacceptably poor'.
Source: State of Healthcare 2008, HC 11, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Summary | CHAI press release | DH press release | Help the Aged press release | NHS Confederation press release | BMA press release | Durham University press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2008-Dec
An audit report said that some people approaching the end of their life received a high quality service: but there was room for improved co-ordination between health and social care services in planning and delivering end-of-life care.
Source: End of Life Care, HC 1043 (Session 2007-08), National Audit Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | NAO press release | RNHA press release | RCN press release | BBC report | Community Care report | Pulse report
Date: 2008-Nov
A paper said that output growth for the National Health Service between 2003-04 and 2006-07 had averaged 5.1 per cent per year, of which 1 per cent was due to improvements in the quality of care.
Source: Adriana Castelli, Mauro Laudicella and Andrew Street, Measuring NHS Output Growth, Research Paper 43, Centre for Health Economics/University of York (01904 433648)
Links: Paper
Date: 2008-Nov
A report examined aspects of healthcare that Scottish patients viewed as being important. Although patients were largely very positive towards the National Health Service, they also described specific instances where improvements could be made. A second report looked specifically at primary care. A third report examined existing patient experience activities within NHS Scotland and the attitudes of NHS Boards towards patient experience: it also examined Boards' expectations of the Scottish patient experience programme, and beliefs about patients' priorities.
Source: Stephen Bruster, Better Together: Scotland's Patient Experience Programme – Building on the Experience of NHS Patients and Users, Scottish Government (0131 244 7560) | Kirsty McKissock, Better Together: Scotland's Patient Experience Programme – Building on Experience – Public Priorities with Respect to General Practice Care, Scottish Government | Rachel Reeves, Better Together: Scotland's Patient Experience Programme – Building on the Experiences of NHS Boards, Scottish Government
Links: Report | Summary | Primary care report | NHS Boards report | NHS Boards (summary)
Date: 2008-Nov
A think-tank report said that improving the quality of National Health Service facilities management would be crucial to attempts to improve services within limited budgets. It identified a range of possible causes of existing inefficiencies in facilities management, and suggested a number of possible solutions: but it said that there was a paucity of good-quality data on these issues.
Source: David Furness et al., Providers of Healthcare, Social Market Foundation (020 7222 7060)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Oct
An audit report said that navigating complaints systems in the National Health Service was not straightforward, and handling some complaints took too long. There was little sharing of lessons from complaints or evidence that services were improving as a result.
Source: Feeding Back? Learning from complaints handling in health and social care, HC 853 (Session 2007-08), National Audit Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Summary | NAO press release | Survey of users | International evidence | Patients Association press release | Guardian report | BBC report | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Oct
An audit report showed an overall picture of financial improvement for many National Health Service organizations in 2007-08. Half of the 302 NHS trusts assessed in England had performed well or strongly in the way that they had used their resources, and only 3 per cent had failed to balance their books.
Source: Auditors' Local Evaluation 2007/08: Summary results for NHS trusts and primary care trusts, Audit Commission (0800 502030)
Links: Report | Audit Commission press release | NHS Confederation press release | RCN press release | BBC report
Date: 2008-Oct
The healthcare inspectorate published annual National Health Service performance ratings for England in 2007-08, showing trends in the quality of services and in management of resources. More trusts were rated 'good' or 'excellent' compared with the previous year, and fewer were rated 'fair' or 'weak': but there were still problems in areas such as hospital-acquired infections, and access to family doctor appointments.
Source: The Annual Health Check 2007/08: 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 | Patients Association press release | NHS Confederation press release | Kings Fund press release | RCN press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report | FT report | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Oct
An audit report said that the health service in Northern Ireland was making good progress against many of its key targets. But public health issues such as obesity and suicide continued to need attention, as did the issue of health inequality.
Source: The Performance of the Health Service in Northern Ireland, NIA 18/08-09, National Ireland Audit Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | NIAO press release | NIE press release
Date: 2008-Oct
A think-tank report examined the long-term financing pressures which were likely to arise as a result of the ageing of the population and the growth of health technologies. There was some evidence to suggest that the United Kingdom seemed to lag behind other counties in the adoption and diffusion of certain new treatments.
Source: David Furness et al., Demography and Technology: External Pressures for Change, Social Market Foundation (020 7222 7060)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Oct
Researchers examined the response of English National Health Service hospitals to waiting-time targets. It was found that targets led to a fall in waiting times without apparent reductions in other aspects of patient care.
Source: Carol Propper, Matt Sutton, Carolyn Whitnall and Frank Windmeijer, Incentives and Targets in Hospital Care: Evidence from a natural experiment, Working Paper 08/205, Centre for Market and Public Organisation/University of Bristol (0117 954 6943)
Links: Working paper
Date: 2008-Oct
The healthcare inspectorate said that the majority of urgent and emergency care services across England were performing well: but it called for further improvements.
Source: Not Just a Matter of Time: A review of urgent and emergency care services in England, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200)
Links: Report | CHAI press release | DH press release | NHS Confederation press release | RCN press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Sep
In 2007-08, family doctor practices in England were awarded an average score of 96.8 per cent achievement against a set of evidence-based indicators developed to assess the quality of care provided to patients. This compared with an average achievement of 95.5 per cent in 2006-07.
Source: Press release 30 September 2008, NHS Information Centre (0845 300 6016)
Links: NHS press release | BMA press release
Date: 2008-Sep
The government began consultation on the steps that would be taken if a National Health Service organization failed, for either clinical or organizational reasons. A 'Trust Special Administrator' would be appointed to take control of the trust and ensure that it continued to provide safe and effective services for patients. The Administrator would also be required to produce a report, and consult swiftly on proposals for the future of the trust.
Source: Consultation on a Regime for Unsustainable NHS Providers, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Consultation document | DH press release | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Sep
A survey found that unsuitable and potentially dangerous advice was being given by poorly trained staff in some pharmacies. Independent pharmacies fared particularly poorly, giving unsatisfactory advice on around half of visits.
Source: Advice Guide to Pharmacists, Consumers' Association (020 7770 7000)
Links: Report | Consumers' Association press release | RPSGB press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2008-Sep
An article examined the receipt of effective healthcare interventions in England by people aged 50 or more with serious health conditions. Shortfalls in receipt of basic recommended care were most noticeable in areas associated with disability and frailty, but few areas were exempt. Efforts to improve care had 'substantial scope' to achieve better health outcomes, and particularly needed to include chronic conditions that affected the quality of life of older people.
Source: Nicholas Steel et al., 'Self reported receipt of care consistent with 32 quality indicators: national population survey of adults aged 50 or more in England', British Medical Journal, 14 August 2008
Links: Article | RCN press release | CSP press release
Date: 2008-Aug
An article examined a model of service 'quality gaps' in the National Health Service in England and Wales – arising from the difference between hospitals' definition of quality as the level of service provided, and patients' definition of quality as service that met their expectations.
Source: Uche Nwabueze and Joan Mileski, 'The three dimensions of quality service: the case of service quality gaps in the UK National Health Service?', International Journal of Public Administration, Volume 31 Issues 10-11
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Aug
Plans were published for implementing regular performance checks on doctors in England. Family doctors, hospital consultants, and private practitioners would undergo annual appraisals, and would have to apply to renew their licences to practice every five years.
Source: Medical Revalidation: Principles and Next Steps – The report of the Chief Medical Officer for England's Working Group, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Report | DH press release | BMA press release | AOMRC press release | Patients Association press release | NHS Employers press release | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report | Personnel Today report
Date: 2008-Jul
The Health and Social Care Act 2008 was given Royal assent. The Act provided for the creation of 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 Act included measures to enhance professional regulation in the National Health Service; and it also extended the provisions of the Human Rights Act to any independent sector care home that provided accommodation together with nursing or personal care on behalf of a local authority.
Source: Health and Social Care Act 2008, Department of Health, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Act | Explanatory notes | HOC research brief | DH press release
Date: 2008-Jul
An article examined the link between healthcare spending and health outcomes, in respect of cancer and circulatory diseases. The results challenged the 'widely held' view that healthcare spending had little impact on health.
Source: Stephen Martin, Nigel Rice and Peter Smith, 'Does health care spending improve health outcomes? Evidence from English programme budgeting data', Journal of Health Economics, Volume 27 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Jul
An article examined the effects of a large scale 'payment for performance' scheme (the 'Quality and Outcomes Framework') on professional roles and the delivery of primary care. Payment for performance was driving major changes in the roles and organization of primary healthcare teams. Non-incentivized activities and patients' concerns might receive less clinical attention. Practitioners would benefit from improved dissemination of the evidence justifying the inclusion of new performance indicators in the QOF.
Source: Susan Maisey et al., 'Effects of payment for performance in primary care: qualitative interview study', Journal of Health Services Research and Policy, Volume 13 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Jul
The report of an independent inquiry found that patients in England with learning disabilities faced discrimination, abuse, and neglect in the National Health Service.
Source: Jonathan Michael, Healthcare For All: Report of the independent inquiry into access to healthcare for people with learning disabilities, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Report | EHRC press release | FPLD press release | Mencap press release | VODG press release | NHS Confederation press release | RCN press release | Liberal Democrats press release | Telegraph report | Guardian report | BBC report | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Jul
The healthcare inspectorate said that women held positive views about maternity services in England, with 89 per cent rating care during birth and labour as 'good' or better: but improvements were still needed on the pathway from antenatal to postnatal care.
Source: Towards Better Births: A review of maternity services in England, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200)
Links: Report | CHAI press release | RCN press release | NCT press release | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report
Date: 2008-Jul
The healthcare inspectorate said that more patients reported being 'completely satisfied' with care in family doctor practices and health centres, with high proportions saying that they were treated with dignity and listened to carefully. But patients wanted better access to family doctors and dentists.
Source: National NHS Patient Survey Programme: National Survey of Local Health Services, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200)
Links: Report | CHAI press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2008-Jul
A report examined research evidence on the effectiveness of the healthcare inspectorate since its establishment in 2004. It concluded that the model of regulation developed by the inspectorate accorded with the principles of modern regulation, and that the way that it regulated the National Health Service and independent sector was 'effective and proportionate'. This had led to improvements in outcomes for patients, and helped promote improvement in health and healthcare more generally. More work needed to be done, however, to reduce duplication of data requests, and to improve the clarity of processes around assessments and scoring.
Source: Making a Difference? An evaluation of the performance of the Healthcare Commission 2004-2008, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Jul
An independent report made recommendations designed to enhance public confidence in the bodies responsible for regulating the healthcare professions.
Source: Niall Dickson et al., Implementing the White Paper 'Trust, Assurance and Safety': Enhancing confidence in healthcare professional regulators – Final Report, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Jun
A joint inspectorate report said that patients had yet to see any benefit from market-based National Health Service reforms that had cost about £1 billion to implement since 2000. Many reforms to introduce choice and competition had 'potential': but they remained unproven and needed time to 'bed in'.
Source: Is the Treatment Working? Progress with the NHS system reform programme, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200) and Audit Commission
Links: Report | Summary | CHAI press release | Kings Fund press release | Turning Point press release | Liberal Democrats press release | FT report | BBC report | Telegraph report
Date: 2008-Jun
The government announced plans to improve standards of care and tackle underperformance in National Health Service hospitals and primary care trusts. New measures would identify failing trusts, remove poor managers, and bring in new management – including from other hospitals or from the private sector.
Source: Developing the NHS Performance Regime, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Report | DH press release | CHAI press release | NHS Confederation press release | UNISON press release | Liberal Democrats press release | Personnel Today report | Telegraph report
Date: 2008-Jun
A report by the health service ombudsman called on the National Health Service to improve the way it handled complaints. The report summarized recent investigations, highlighting examples of both good and bad practice.
Source: Remedy in the NHS: Summaries of recent cases, HC 632, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk)
Links: Report | PHSO press release
Date: 2008-Jun
An audit report said that delivering the national programme for information technology in the National Health Service was proving to be an 'enormous challenge'. All elements of the programme were advancing and some were complete: but the original timescales for the electronic care records service, one of the central elements of the programme, turned out to be unachievable, raised unrealistic expectations, and put confidence in the programme at risk.
Source: The National Programme for IT in the NHS: Progress since 2006, HC 484 (Session 2007-08), National Audit Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report part 1 | Report part 2 | NAO press release | BMA press release | BBC report | Guardian report | FT report
Date: 2008-May
A report examined how and where quality of care in the National Health Service had improved in response to major investment since 1997. Quality in the National Health Service in England had improved significantly: increased funding and a dynamic reform programme had enhanced both the resources available and the impetus for quality improvement. But it was less clear whether the gains made were commensurate with the effort and investment made.
Source: Sheila Leatherman and Kim Sutherland, The Quest for Quality: Refining the NHS reforms, Nuffield Trust (020 631 8450)
Links: Report | Summary | Nuffield Trust press release | FT report
Date: 2008-May
The healthcare inspectorate said that most patients staying overnight in hospital in England were happy with their care: 9 in 10 said their care was good, very good, or excellent. But problems were reported with the quality of food, information on treatment, and the use of mixed-sex facilities.
Source: National NHS Patient Survey Programme: Survey of Adult Inpatients in the NHS 2007, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200)
Links: Report | CHAI press release | Help the Aged press release | NHS Confederation press release | BMA press release | Telegraph report | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2008-May
The healthcare inspectorate said that a lack of basic nursing care, poor communications, overly brisk family doctor consultations, and a lack of help for mental health service users were among the key issues patients raised when making complaints. It upheld 20 per cent of complaints made between August 2006 and July 2007, more than twice as many as the previous year. National Health Service trusts needed to learn from patients' complaints and improve complaints handling.
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 | Help the Aged press release | Telegraph report | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Apr
The government began consultation on the framework for the registration of health and adult social care providers, including primary care services. It put forward proposals on which services would be required to register with the new regulator, and the requirements that they would need to meet. The healthcare inspectorate published a discussion paper examining the issues involved.
Source: A Consultation on the Framework for the Registration of Health and Adult Social Care Providers, Department of Health (08701 555455) | Assuring the Safety and Quality of Healthcare for Patients Outside Hospital: What is the appropriate role for regulation?, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200)
Links: Consultation document | Hansard | DH press release | CHAI discussion paper
Date: 2008-Mar
A report said that routine measurement and analysis of the outcomes of healthcare for patients was 'a practical proposition' across a wide range of health services.
Source: NHS Outcomes, Performance and Productivity, Office of Health Economics Commission (020 7747 8850)
Links: Report | OHE press release
Date: 2008-Mar
A think-tank report said that the overwhelming majority of births in England were safe, despite growing pressures on maternity services: but the lack of a systematic approach to ensuring safety across maternity services was creating unnecessary risks.
Source: Safe Births: Everybody's business – An independent inquiry into the safety of maternity services in England, King's Fund (020 7307 2591)
Links: Report | King's Fund press release | NHS Confederation press release | Liberal Democrats press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2008-Feb
The healthcare inspectorate highlighted common trends in the investigations it had undertaken from August 2004 to April 2007 in cases where patient safety had been placed seriously at risk – poor leadership, ineffective management, inadequate teamwork with staff feeling unable to communicate problems, and a lack of clarity about who was responsible for what across the trust concerned.
Source: Learning from Investigations, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200)
Links: Report | CHAI press release | NHS Confederation press release | Mind press release | Telegraph report | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Feb
The healthcare inspectorate for Wales published its annual report for 2006-07. All National Health Service Trusts had made 'steady progress' in strengthening their clinical governance arrangements and systems: but further improvement was necessary.
Source: Annual Report 2006-2007, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (029 2092 8850)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Feb
The Health and Social Care Bill was given a third 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 (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 18 February 2008, columns 44-122, TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | HOC research brief | Hansard
Date: 2008-Feb
Researchers examined the factors affecting the quality of family doctor services under a system of financial incentives. The results suggested that doctors were partially altruistic, in that the majority produced markedly higher quality than was required to maximize their financial rewards.
Source: Hugh Gravelle, Matt Sutton and Ada Ma, Doctor Behaviour under a Pay for Performance Contract: Further evidence from the Quality and Outcomes Framework, Research Paper 34, Centre for Health Economics/University of York (01904 433648)
Links: Paper
Date: 2008-Feb
The government set out in detail (following consultation) its intentions to implement reform of the health and social care complaints processes.
Source: Making Experiences Count: The proposed new arrangements for handling health and social care complaints – Response to consultation, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Report | Consultation document | DH press release | Mind press release | Help the Aged press release
Date: 2008-Feb
An audit report said that the 'payment by results' system had helped hospitals to be more business-like, but had not yet increased National Health Service efficiency significantly.
Source: The Right Result? Payment by results 2003-07, Audit Commission (0800 502030)
Links: Report | Audit Commission press release | NHS Confederation press release | BMA press release | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report
Date: 2008-Feb
A report by a committee of the National Assembly for Wales called for more action to tackle delayed transfers of care ('bed-blocking') in the National Health Service. Measures were needed to make the whole system work effectively, and reduce the growing impact of the problem.
Source: Tackling Delayed Transfers of Care Across the Whole System, Audit Committee/National Assembly for Wales (029 2082 5111)
Links: Report | NAW press release | NHS Wales press release
Date: 2008-Feb
A report by a committee of MPs said that the Department of Health had not given dementia the attention it deserved. Many sufferers were not being diagnosed early enough and, when diagnosed, ended up in hospital beds or care homes, deprived of the specialist care they needed.
Source: Improving Services and Support for People with Dementia, Sixth Report (Session 2007-08), HC 228, House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Alzheimers Society press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Jan
The healthcare inspectorate said that more than half the maternity units in England were achieving a good overall standard. But it identified 31 trusts where maternity care for mothers and babies was falling below the approved standard. Common defects included a failure to recruit enough midwives for one-to-one care during labour, and inadequate checks on whether staff intervened effectively to prevent unnecessary caesarians.
Source: Review of Maternity Services 2007, Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (020 7448 9200)
Links: CHAI press release | DH press release | Kings Fund press release | RCN press release | MHF press release | FPLD press release | Guardian report | Telegraph report | BBC report
Date: 2008-Jan
A report examined changes in healthcare inputs, output, and productivity from 1995 to 2006. National Health Service output rose by 3.8 per cent per year. By 2006, output was some 50 per cent higher than in 1995, before allowance for quality change. But since inputs had grown even more quickly, productivity fell by an average 1.0 per cent a year.
Source: Public Service Productivity: Health Care, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report | ONS press release | FT report
Date: 2008-Jan
A report said that the poor performance of the National Health Service was causing over 17,000 unnecessary deaths per year, and that £34 billion of extra spending under the Labour government had made 'no difference' to mortality rates.
Source: Matthew Sinclair, Wasting Lives: A statistical analysis of NHS performance in a European context since 1981, TaxPayers' Alliance (0845 330 9554)
Links: Report | TPA press release | Guardian report | Telegraph report | BBC report
Date: 2008-Jan
An article examined the impact of competition on healthcare standards, in an environment with limited quality signals in which hospitals competed mainly on price. Hospitals in competitive markets reduced unmeasured and unobserved quality in order to improve measured and observed waiting times.
Source: Carol Propper, Simon Burgess and Denise Gossage, 'Competition and quality: evidence from the NHS internal market 1991-9', Economic Journal, Volume 118 Issue 525
Date: 2008-Jan
A think-tank report said that the government's proposals to eliminate excessive waiting from the National Health Service stood 'no realistic chance' of succeeding. The target of a maximum 18-week delay from referral to treatment, to be achieved by December 2008, was an impossibility, given the lacklustre performance of some strategic health authorities, primary care trusts, and hospital trusts. The only long-term solution to this was not targets, but choice and competition. The obstacle was the unwillingness of family doctors to provide the necessary information to patients, out of a misplaced desire to protect the inefficient local healthcare system, including the nearest hospital.
Source: James Gubb, Why Are We Waiting? An analysis of waiting times in the NHS, Civitas (020 7401 5470)
Links: Report | Civitas press release | Telegraph report
Date: 2008-Jan
An article examined evidence on the perceptions and experiences of adult victims of domestic violence when accessing healthcare services. Victims identified inappropriate responses by healthcare professionals, discomfort with the healthcare environment, perceived barriers to disclosing domestic violence, and a lack of confidence in the outcomes of disclosure to a health professional.
Source: Louise Robinson and Karen Spilsbury, 'Systematic review of the perceptions and experiences of accessing health services by adult victims of domestic violence', Health and Social Care in the Community, Volume 16 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Jan
A paper said that central pay setting for nurses in England meant that hospitals in high-cost areas struggled to recruit and retain staff – with the result that they treated fewer patients and had higher fatality rates among patients admitted with emergency heart attacks.
Source: Emma Hall, Carol Propper and John Van Reenen, Can Pay Regulation Kill? Panel data evidence on the effect of labor markets on hospital performance, Working Paper 08/184, Centre for Market and Public Organisation/University of Bristol (0117 954 6943)
Links: Working paper | Abstract | LSE press release | FT report
Date: 2008-Jan