Other work by King's Fund staff
Motivation and Confidence: What does it take to change behaviour?
Author: Anna Dixon30.06.08
This is the fourth paper in a series, Kicking Bad Habits, on how people can be encouraged to adopt healthy behaviour. The paper considers the influence of an individual's motivation and confidence in modifying their health behaviours. While there is good evidence, in theory, that they are two key determinants of behaviour change, there remains little clarity about which behavioural interventions are succesful.
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Who's accountable for health?
Author: Niall Dickson (Chair)17.06.08
In November 2007, Sir Simon Milton, Chairman of the Local Government Association asked Niall Dickson, Chief Executive of the King's Fund, to chair an independent cross-party Commission to investigate how to engage people in the complex decisions about local health services, and empower them to hold their local systems to account. The final report focuses on local accountability and public involvement in the planning, purchasing and delivery of health care in England. It defines accountability and differentiates it from public involvement, and it considers how these concepts operate now – and could operate in future – across the domains of health service commissioning, health care provision and public health.
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Implementing the white paper Trust, assurance and safety: enhancing confidence in healthcare professional regulators - final report and DH response to recommendations
Author: Niall Dickson02.06.08
In May 2007, Lord Hunt asked Niall Dickson, Chief Executive of the King's Fund, to chair one of the seven working groups to take forward key recommendations in the white paper Trust, assurance and safety. This group was asked to examine those aspects of the white paper concerned with enhancing public confidence in the regulators of healthcare professionals. This document contains the working group's report and the Department's response to its recommendations. This report can be accessed on the Department of Health website.
Using Information to Promote Healthy Behaviours
Author: Ruth Robertson16.04.08
This is the third paper in a series, Kicking Bad Habits, on how people can be encouraged to adopt healthier behaviour. Information-based health campaigns are a major part of the government’s health promotion strategy. A £75 million marketing programme has recently been announced to encourage healthy behaviour in children. This paper looks at the theory and selected evidence of interventions in practice, and what this can tell us about the role of information in behaviour change programmes.
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Low-income Groups and Behaviour Change Interventions: A review of intervention content and effectiveness
Authors: Susan Michie, Karen Jochelson, Wolfgang A Markham, Chris Bridle26.03.08
This is the second paper in a series, Kicking Bad Habits, on how people can be encouraged to adopt healthy behaviour. Looking at interventions targeted specifically at low-income groups, this paper asks which interventions are effective in getting people to quit smoking, eat healthily and exercise. It reveals that the most frequently used techniques are providing information and encouraging people to set goals, which can be particularly effective at changing behaviour in disadvantaged groups.
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Funding the Practice of Learning
Authors: Marsaili Cameron, Sheila Marsh, Kathryn Hinds, Steve Dewar18.02.08
Partners for Health, a King's Fund funding programme, was set up in 2005 to develop the role of learning from practice in the voluntary sector. This paper evaluates the programme, focusing on the accounts of applicants as they went through the application process, and how they made sense of the evaluation workshop, a key intervention by the Fund, during the process.
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Paying the Patient: Improving health using financial incentives
Author: Karen Jochelson13.12.07
This work is the first in a series of papers on how people can be encouraged to adopt healthy behaviour. Input into these papers, through discussion and invited comment, will contribute to a final report at the end of 2008. This paper, identifying programmes based on both positive and negative incentives, finds that financial incentives are effective in encouraging people to perform clearly defined, time-limited, simple behavioural tasks, and also in encouraging participation in lifestyle programmes.However, healthier behaviour is not maintained and financial incentives are not effective when the behaviour change required is complex, for example, giving up smoking.
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Predicting who will need costly care: How best to target preventive health, housing and social programmes
Author: Geraint Lewis07.12.07
As the population ages, the prevalence of complex conditions requiring intensive social care will increase to a point where the costs are difficult to sustain. To avoid this crisis, preventive ‘upstream’ interventions should be targeted at those people at lower, emerging risk. Evidence suggests that these interventions could avoid future admissions to care homes. This study argues that a predictive tool could be developed to effectively focus resources and preventive measures in tackling this problem.
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Final Report on the Mental Health Review Tribunal Judicial Case Management Pilot within South London and Maudsley NHS Trust
Authors: Simon Lawton-Smith, Chiara Samele, Michael Parsonage, Lesley Warner06.08.07
The Mental Health Review Tribunal (MHRT) Judicial Case Management (JCM) pilot ran in South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (SLAM) between April and September 2006, covering cases under section 2 and section 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983. This is the final report and evaluation on the pilot scheme.
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PCTs and Race Equality Schemes
Authors: Ruth Thorlby, Natasha Curry22.06.07
Under the Race Relations Amendment Act (2000), all public bodies, including NHS organisations, are legally obliged to produce a ‘race equality scheme’ explaining how they plan to eliminate racial discrimination and promote equal opportunities. This paper examines PCTs’ race equality schemes to find out what PCTs are doing to address inequalities, what good practice exists and what barriers to change remain.
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