By Department of Health (2014)
As well as presenting data and evidence, the report also comments on overarching trends. This year, information in the report suggests that we may need to rethink what is regarded as ‘normal’ in relation to our health and our society. Some of the main themes discussed in the report are obesity, national data on blindness and deafness and active travel.
By The King’s Fund (2014)
The health system in England is facing a number of challenges including an ageing population, an increasing number of people with multiple, long-term conditions and a difficult financial climate. To meet these challenges, more integrated approaches to care delivery are needed to improve both the quality of care and patients’ experience. In the United States, ACOs – a group of providers that take responsibility for providing all the care for a given population for a specified period of time – have been developed to provide a more integrated approach to care.This paper describes the different types of ACOs emerging in the United States; presents some early evidence on their performance; assesses the future for ACOs; and discusses the implication of these developments for integrated care initiatives in England.
By RAND Europe (2014)
Public Health England (PHE) commissioned RAND Europe to undertake a horizon scanning study exploring the future of public health and related scientific services. This work was intended to help inform thinking at the strategic level within PHE, firstly in relation to the wider vision of the Agency and, secondly, in relation to the proposals for the creation of an integrated public health science hub. The report focuses on the different future public health science needs and the extent to which an integrated science hub could serve PHE as it evolves over the next twenty years.
By The King’s Fund (2014)
This paper looks at the changes needed to realise the full potential of community services for transforming care. It finds that while the emphasis on moving care closer to home has resulted in some reductions in length of hospital stay, it is now time to focus on the bigger issue of how services need to change to fundamentally transform care.
By British Cycling (2014)
This report, commissioned by British Cycling from Cambridge University, finds that if people replaced 5 minutes of the 36 minutes they spend each day in the car with cycling, there would be an almost 5% annual reduction in the health burden from inactivity-related illnesses including heart disease, diabetes, stroke and some cancers. It also argues that if 10% of trips in England and Wales were made by bike, the savings to the NHS of the top inactivity related illnesses would be at least £250 million per year.
By Local Government Association (2014)
Catering for the health and care needs of our growing and ageing population is a national priority. Reforming our care and support system is vital for us to be able to meet this challenge. The Local Government Association (LGA), Association of Directors and Adult Social Services (ADASS) and Department of Health are working in partnership to support local areas in implementation of the care and support reforms in the context of the other changes and challenges for local health and care systems, including the Better Care Fund.
By the Department of Health (2014)
These documents contain evidence on why wellbeing matters to health throughout someone’s life, and what policy makers can do about it.
The Nuffield Trust (2014)
This QualityWatch Focus On report examines the typical distances
from home that people travel to receive emergency care, and how this has
changed over time. It explores the distances between a person’s home
and the hospital at which they attended A&E, or received an emergency
inpatient admission, using Hospital Episode Statistics from the 10-year
period from 2001/02 to 2011/12.
By Sir John Oldham, Chair of the Independent Commission on Whole Person Care (2014)
The emphasis of this report is recommendations for
an incoming Government in 2015. They are built on
three themes: giving meaningful power to people
using the health and care system; reorienting the
whole system around the true needs of the population
in the 21st century; and, addressing the biases in the
established system that prevent necessary change
happening. For too long health and social care have
been considered separately. They are inextricably
linked. However we do not believe the answer includes
yet another major structural reform at this time. The
scale of recent reforms so damaged the NHS and care
system that we believe it would not survive intact from
a further dose of structural change. We are not saying
that the current structures are right, or that they won’t
need to change in the future – they aren’t and they
on national organisations. However, relationships and
culture trump structures. We should not focus now on
what the structures are, but the relationships among
them, the people who work in them, and what they do.
This is the essence of care and what really matters.
These changes may not be as tangible and headline
grabbing as scrapping and creating organisations.
Arguably they are, taken together, more radical.
By Public Health England (2014)
This strategy aims to show how the health and care system can join forces to adapt for a more sustainable future while potentially saving millions of pounds. It features reducing carbon emissions, protecting natural resources, preparing communities for severe weather events and promoting healthy lifestyles and environments. Organisations are being encouraged to develop a local strategy, measure their success with regular reporting, and evaluate their progress as well as joining up with local Health and Wellbeing Boards.