Overlooked, but not overcome: smaller hospitals and the staff response to the Covid-19 pandemic  – Nuffield Trust
This briefing looks at the operational responses and management approaches taken by staff from ten smaller hospitals during the first and second waves of the pandemic. The briefing also makes a set of recommendations for future crisis planning and response.

Double vision: a roadmap to double medical school places – Policy Exchange
This report develops a detailed and costed roadmap to enable 15,000 medical students a year to enrol on courses in England by 2029. It identifies seven pathways to enable this, with recommendations including the opening of 12-15 new medical schools over the coming decade; expanding and diversifying the talent pool, including an expansion of graduate entry places; expanding the role of innovation including the use of simulation-based learning and ‘virtual placements’; and to improve alignment between placement providers, medical schools and the wider health system through the development of Placement Planning Boards.

Getting it right: the case for urgent investment in safe, modern technology and data sharing in the UK’s health services – British Medical Association
This report sets out they key areas where more needs to be done to ensure the recovery and resilience of UK health services and the safe delivery of care: infrastructure – hardware, software and connectivity; interoperability – standards and security; involvement – digital leadership, user involvement and skills development; inclusion – digital access and literacy for patients; and investment – prioritise existing funding, protect against budget cuts, increase funding.

Brick by brick: the case for urgent investment in safe, modern, and sustainable healthcare estates – British Medical Association
This report examines the condition of the NHS estate across the UK and its impact on both the wellbeing of doctors and patient care, with a focus on: the maintenance and modernisation of healthcare estates; the need to design healthcare environments with capacity, safety and wellbeing in mind; the impact healthcare estates have on climate and the environment; and the need for steeper increases in capital funding.

NHS funding, resources and treatment volumes – Institute for Fiscal Studies
This report looks into the resources available to the NHS and how they are being used, looking beyond just the waiting list. It examines how the funding, staffing and hospital beds available to the NHS have changed since 2019 and how the number of patients treated by the NHS in eight different areas compares with 2019 levels. It finds that for most areas of care, the NHS is still struggling to treat more people than it was pre-pandemic, despite having – on the face of it – additional staff and funding. The report considers a range of different factors that could explain this seeming fall in performance and output.

Hewitt review: call for evidence – Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) 
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has appointed the Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt to consider the oversight and governance of integrated care systems (ICSs). The DHSC has now launched a call for evidence to gather views from across the health and social care system, as well as from patients, the public, and the wider voluntary sector. The consultation closes at 11:45pm on 9 January 2023.

Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review: update report on government implementation – Department of Health and Social Care 
This implementation report provides an update on the government’s progress to implement the 2021 government response to the 2020 Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review and improve patient safety. It sets out the steps the government is taking to implement the accepted strategic recommendations and actions for improvement and provides more detail on the government’s work on sodium valproate and pelvic mesh.

GIRFT diagnostics delivery guide: a guide for systems in delivering effective diagnostic services to support elective recovery – Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT)
Aimed at NHS leaders and managers at regional, system and trust level, and clinicians, healthcare professionals and managers working in diagnostic services and clinical specialties, this delivery guide offers practical advice on steps for delivering a more effective service, as well as ways for primary care and acute services to free up diagnostic capacity by reducing unnecessary referrals.

Strategies to reduce waiting times for elective care – The King’s Fund
The King’s Fund undertook research to understand the strategies that have been used to reduce waiting times. Spanning the past 20 years across 15 countries, the literature afforded an enhanced understanding of the underlying features and overarching principles of waiting list and waiting time management as well as the specific approaches that have been used to reduce waiting times in a wide range of contexts.

Disordered activity? A review of the quality of epilepsy care provided to adult patients presenting to hospital with a seizure – National Confidential Enquiry into patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD)
Data from 610 clinical questionnaires, 264 sets of case notes and 158 organisational questionnaires were used to assess the quality of care provided to adult patients with a pre-existing epilepsy disorder or who were subsequently diagnosed with epilepsy and presented to hospital following a seizure, between 1st January and 31st December 2020.

Integrating care: policy, principles and practice for places  – Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA)
This report provides an overview of the changes since the Health and Care Act 2022 was introduced and discusses what integration is seeking to achieve. It considers the wider health and care landscape in the current climate and addresses the remaining challenges at place level. The recommendations and case studies it contains are intended to influence the development of further policy and guidance by central government, and to provide support for practitioners at local level. The purpose of the report is to help health and local government partners to find effective solutions to the challenges of health and care integration.

Unlocking the NHS’s social and economic potential: a maturity framework – NHS Confederation
This toolkit aims to help systems gauge and track their progress on unlocking social and economic development. The guidance explores what social and economic development is, why it matters to the NHS and how integrated care systems might deliver this to benefit its services.