Quality of care

Comment & analysis

• NHS performing well despite financial pressures

  NHS performance is continuing to hold up, despite warnings from MPs this week about the scale of the financial challenge it is facing.

• Running the NHS: if you get the small things right, will the big things follow? | Lara Sonola

  Lara Sonola asks if clinicians used data to improve clinical practice and drive efficiency, could a little change help the NHS in a big way?

• The latest waiting times: Targets and extra funding | James Thompson

  James Thompson examines the data on median hospital waiting times and targets in our latest data briefing.

• Will hourly rounds help nurses to concentrate more on caring?

  While Jocelyn Cornwell welcomes a commitment to hourly nursing rounds, will the introduction of new measurements just increase bureaucracy in patient care?

• All I want for Christmas.... is better care for the elderly

  With the pressures on A&E at this time of year, Richard Humphries explains that it's the frail elderly patients that remain in hospital beds that we should be more concerned about.

• Can we be aspirational about quality standards for mental health when resources are so tight?

  Joanna Goodrich considers the impact of NICE's aspirational guidance on the delivery of adult mental health care on patient-centred care. (Blog, 22 Dec 2011)

• What has the number of patients treated in non-NHS hospitals got to do with patient choice?

  Francesca Frosini asks how a new measurement of patients treated in non-NHS hospitals will help to assess patient choice. (Blog, 16 Dec 2011)

• Leadership vacuum threatens patient care in London

  The King’s Fund today calls on the government to spell out who will be responsible for improving Londoners’ health and health care following the abolition of the strategic health authority. (Press release, 13 Dec 2011)

• Can satisfaction with the NHS get any higher?

  John Appleby analyses the results of the British Social Attitudes survey to see why our satisfaction with the NHS is so high. (Blog, 8 Dec 2011)

• The King's Fund comments on publication of the NHS Outcomes Framework for 2012/13

  Chris Ham gives his reaction to the NHS Outcomes Framework for 2012/2013.

• How can we bridge the gap between knowledge and practice to deliver good patient experience?

  Bev Fitzsimons, asks whether a new patient and family-centred care programme can help improve patients' experience. (Blog, 25 Nov 2011)

• Commonwealth Fund survey: If the NHS is doing well, why is it changing?

  As a new Commonwealth Fund survey reflects a positive light on the NHS, Chris Ham asks why we are still moving forward so quickly with health reforms? (Blog)

• Are personal budgets really the best way to personalise health care?

  While government ministers seem enthused by plans to allow some patients to manage their own health budgets, Angela Coulter asks if we should be exploring other options. (Blog)

• SHMI, the new indicator for measuring hospital mortality: More light or more confusion?

  In her blog, Veena Raleigh is doubtful that the new hospital mortality rate indictor, SHMI, will provide the definitive measure of a hospital’s quality.

• We need to talk about frail older patients: CQC report

  Drawing on experience from our Point of Care programme, Jocelyn Cornwell explores the options to improving the poor results on care shown in the CQC report. (Blog, Jocelyn Cornwell, 20 Oct 2011)

• Lost and confused: Improving hospital care for dementia patients

  After the CQC report on quality of care, Anna Dixon asks if acute hospitals are providing the right care for people with dementia. (Blog 18 Oct 2011)

• The NHS health check: October 2011 quarterly monitoring report

  As NHS hospitals and employees grapple with productivity improvements and cost saving, we take a closer look at the current state of the NHS with our NHS health check prezi.

• How is the NHS performing? October 2011 quarterly monitoring report

  Our third quarterly monitoring report provides a regular update on how the NHS is coping as it grapples with the evolving reform agenda.

• The case for reconfiguration in emergency surgery

  Using a personal experience of emergency surgery, Candace Imison makes the case for reconfiguration in her blog.

• Reconfiguring hospital services: A bold move to improve health care?

  Chris Ham examines how to reconfigure hospital services to improve the quality and safety of health care. (6 Sept 2011)