Graduate management trainees to work in urgent and emergency care

HSJ| September 2018 | Graduate management trainees to work in urgent and emergency care

A new collaboration between NHS Improvement and NHS Leadership Academy has been announced, the collaboration will place management trainees on the NHS Graduate scheme into A& E and ambulance trusts. The pilot will involve Two graduate trainees will spend time with North West Ambulance Services Trust, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay and Salford Royal FTs. Another two will work at Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Leeds Teaching Hospitals and Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals trusts (Source: HSJ).

Read the full story at HSJ 

 

Reducing emergency admissions: unlocking the potential of people to better manage their long-term conditions

Health Foundation, 2018

This briefing summarises research that explores the link between how well patients feel able to manage their long-term conditions such as asthma, diabetes and depression and their use of health care.

The findings show the NHS could reduce avoidable health care use and improve people’s quality of life, if they were better supported to manage their long-term conditions.

The briefing points to solutions and calls for national policy makers and the local NHS to take action now, including by prioritising support for self-management in the NHS long-term plan.

Embedding quality improvement skills

NHS Improvement| September 2018 | Embedding quality improvement skills with Pedro Delgado

NHS Improvement have produced a short series of videos with Pedro Delgado the Head of Europe and Latin America region for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), to help you build improvement capability and embed quality improvement skills in your organisation. In 2017  NHS Improvement  partnered with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)to publish an improvement guide called Building capacity and capability for improvement: embedding quality improvement skill in NHS providers. 

 Pedro Delgado shares his thoughts on what has worked well in terms of building improvement capability in NHS organisations (Source: NHS Improvement).

 

How can leaders help the transition from ‘measurement to judgement’ to ‘measurement for improvement’?

What level of expertise should NHS staff have in relation to quality improvement?

What role does leadership play in creating a culture that allows quality improvement to flourish?

What inspired you to become an advocate of quality improvement?

What advice would you give to NHS providers starting on their quality improvement journey?

Each of the foci have an accompanying video see NHS Improvement for full details

C the Signs – How artificial intelligence (AI) is supporting referrals

NHS England | August 2018 | C the Signs – How artificial intelligence (AI) is supporting referrals

C the signs is an app that uses artificial intelligence mapped with the latest NICE guidelines and other evidence to provide GPs with the ability to check combinations of signs, symptoms and risk factors of cancer in an easy-to-use format. The app can be accessed on desktop computers or mobile phones, GPs can access the tool during the consultation to identify which referrals and investigations patients need. This has led to improved GP consultations and a smoother referral process as the app is designed to support  GPs to identify patients at risk of cancer earlier.

As a result of a  successful trial of the app in Sutton, the app will now be piloted in other areas, meaning that GPs and practice nurses in 95 practices will be given access to the tool and be able to use in consultations with their patients (Source: NHS England).

Full details from NHS England

 

Of interest:

Royal College of General Physicians Artificial intelligence (AI) in health
In the media:

OnMedica Guidance needed to evaluate AI used to support patient care

GP Career Plus Case Study: Newham Health Collaborative Ltd

NHS England | September 2018 | GP Career Plus Case Study: Newham Health Collaborative Ltd

A new video case study from NHS England  shows the  Newham created a ‘supply and demand’ staff bank that helps retain experienced GPs, provides direct access to experienced clinicians and lowers costs for sessional staff (NHS England).

Tackling social isolation at a GP practice in Leeds

NHS Leeds Clinical Commissioning Group| September 2018 | Patients at GP practice tackle social isolation in Leeds

Patients at a GP practice in North Leeds are tackling social isolation in their community by providing a befriender service. Caring Hands are volunteer befrienders at North Leeds Medical Practice, who with help from GPs and nurses, are matched with patients who require support such as the elderly or those suffering from anxiety.

24 volunteer befrienders who have undergone training in befriending, confidentiality and risk assessment,  visit patients homes,  help them with their shopping, take patients on walks and run an activity group where patients can play board games and table tennis.

Caring Hands is a collaborative project between patients at North Leeds Medical Practice, GPs and nurses, Connect Well and third sector organisations. The project is overseen by the Patient Participant Group (PPG) at the practice which is supported by the NHS Leeds Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

Read the full story from NHS Leeds Clinical Commissioning Group

NHS could free up £480m by limiting use of temporary staffing agencies

NHS Improvement| September 2018 | NHS could free up £480m by limiting use of temporary staffing agencies

A new article from NHS Improvement outline how savings of £480m could be achieved if Trusts could use bank staff to cover temporary vacancies rather than using staffing agencies.  Although in 2017/18 spending on bank staff was higher than for agency for the first time in several years, leading to a £528m reduction in agency spend for the NHS. 

But for NHS Improvement, there are more potential savings to be made which could be instead used to improve care for patients (Source: NHS Improvement).

Read the full story here