Reducing avoidable emergency admissions

This healthcare insight report details an extensive analysis of avoidable emergency admissions over a five-year period, and in doing so highlights a number of actions that can be taken towards preventing them | Dr Foster

This report looks specifically at ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs), which can be managed or prevented through effective primary and community care. ACSCs can be chronic conditions where early intervention can help prevent exacerbation; acute conditions where early intervention can prevent progression; or conditions where immunisation can prevent disease.

The report paints a startling picture of avoidable emergency admissions, finding that the admission rate increased by nine per cent over the analysis period, even after adjusting for population growth.

The report reveals which conditions patients are most likely to be admitted for in an emergency, who those patients may be, and the impact of deprivation. It takes an in-depth look at the possible savings to be made across both sustainable transformation partnerships (STPs) and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in England, estimating combined potential savings of £125 million.

Full report: Reducing avoidable emergency admissions. Analysis of the impact of ambulatory care sensitive conditions in England.

Driving improvement: Case studies from eight independent hospitals

The Care Quality Commission | June 2019 | Driving improvement: Case studies from eight independent hospitals

CQC visited eight hospitals that had improved their ratings to hear, how they have driven improvement for people who use their services. From this they identified common themes in the hospitals’ improvement journeys: 

 

Image source: cqc.org.uk

•  Leadership.
•  Culture
• Communications
• Learning
• Staffing
• Engaging with patients and the public
• Engaing with CQC

See also:

CQC press release 

Supporting carers in general practice

This document offers a series of practical ideas that have been developed in partnership with carers, primary care teams and other key stakeholders. Collectively, these provide a framework for improving how general practice can better identify and support carers of all ages | NHS England | NHS Improvement

Within the NHS Long term Plan, the ambition for granting carers greater recognition and support so that their own health and wellbeing needs will be addressed is clear.

Image source: http://www.england.nhs.uk

This paper sets a clear ambition to:

• improve carers’ health and promote positive wellbeing;
• reduce carer crisis and family breakdown;
• reduce unwarranted variations in carer support, and;
• meet demand more appropriately and better manage demand on service.

The framework provides a range of practical actions grouped into themes that have been developed from carers, and their representatives, and focuses on key areas where the support offered to carers by general practice could be improved.

Full document: Supporting carers in general practice: a framework of quality markers