Pathology services commissioning toolkit

"This toolkit is for commissioning community (i.e. direct access) pathology services to support commissioners who have undertaken a strategic review of their existing services and wish to improve the quality, effectiveness, affordability and value for money of these services, in line with locally determined objectives and priorities."

The pathology services commissioning toolkit
Department of Health
May 2012

Read more here.

Additional supporting material available here.

Quality, innovation and value in cardiac rehabilitation

"This resource will help to guide commissioners and providers through real examples of what works and to save others from reinventing the wheel."

Quality, innovation and value in cardiac rehabilitation: commissioning for improvement
NHS Improvement
May 2012

Read more here.

Smart Guides to Engagement - more guides added

Three more guides have been added to the Smart Guides to Engagement series. Visit the original post to access the new guides.

Sharing commissioning experiences

“Right Care enables sharing of good practice by compiling local examples of commissioning work, which demonstrate the philosophy behind Right Care or showcases the tools available through the programme.”

Sharing commissioning experiences: The Right Care Casebook Series: Volume 2
NHS Right Care
March 2012

Read more here.

What we know so far...the NHS Commissioning Board

"This briefing note describes the new NHS Commissioning Board, identifying uncertainties that remain around implementation and where proposals will be further developed through secondary legislation and guidance."

What we know so far...the NHS Commissioning Board
British Medical Association
April 2012

Read more here.

Commissioning Support Bulletin

The NHS Commissioning Board Authority now produces the Commissioning Support Bulletin, aimed at sharing ideas and information about the development of commissioning support services (CSS) in the Board Authority.

Read the first issue here.

Thinking about rationining

"The aim of this discussion paper is to give the reader an understanding of the issues involved in rationing in the evolving context of the contemporary NHS in England."

Thinking about rationining
R Klein, J Maybin
The King's Fund
May 2012

Read more here.

Smart guides to engagement

These seven guides are the first in a series of ten Smart Guides to Engagement, and they have been co-produced by Patient and Public Engagement experts from several organisations with support from the Department of Health:

1. Get smart about engagement
2. Engagement for commissioning success
3. Working with lay members and patient representatives
4. Working with LINks and local HealthWatch
5. Practices and patient engagement
6. Listening, learning and responding
7. Community development - improving population health

Emergency hospital admissions for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions

"This data briefing aims to highlight for commissioners the opportunity for improving the quality of care and saving costs that reducing emergency hospital admissions for ACSCs presents."

Data briefing: Emergency hospital admissions for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions: identifying the potential for reductions
Y Tian, A Dixon, H Gao
The King's Fund
April 2012

Read more here.

Beyond consultation: a guide for health commissioners

"This guide suggests different and practical ways for health commissioners to encourage real engagement between service users and staff so that health services can adequately address the needs of seldom-heard groups."

Beyond consultation: a guide for health commissioners: How staff and service users can work together to improve health services
R Vincent, C Miskelly
Panos London and Naz Project
March 2012

Read more here.

Get e-QIPP-ed for neurology

"This booklet illustrates examples of innovative service delivery, prevention of unnecessary interventions, and initiatives that simultaneously improve service efficiency and cost effectiveness alongside quality of patient care."

Get e-QIPP-ed for neurology: positive practice in service redesign
Neurological Commissioning Support Limited
March 2012

Read more here.

Allied Health Professionals' QIPP Toolkits

"The Strategic Health Authority Allied Health Professionals (AHP) Leads for England have worked with NHS London to compile AHP QIPP Toolkits, designed to help commissioners design services that are of high quality whilst reducing cost."

Access the toolkits below:

• AHP Stroke Toolkit
• AHP Oral Nutritional Support Toolkit
• AHP Musculoskeletal Care Toolkit
• AHP Cancer Toolkit
• AHP Diabetes Toolkit

Paving the way

"High quality education and learning are critical to the delivery of excellence in health and social care, and this is now seen as a core part of NHS business."

Paving the way
Royal Society for Public Health
January 2012

Read more here.

Developing excellence in cancer networks

"The ultimate role of cancer networks should be to support commissioners and providers to drive up improvements in outcomes and experiences for cancer patients in their area."

Developing excellence in cancer networks: a report from the Cancer Campaigning Group
Cancer Campaigning Group
February 2012

Read more here.

Critical success factors that enable individuals to die in their preferred place of death

"The main aim of this work was to try to identify the factors that influenced increases in numbers of people being able to die in their preferred place of death, which can largely be assumed to be outside of acute hospital settings, but is not always."

Critical success factors that enable individuals to die in their preferred place of death
National End of Life Care Programme
February 2012

Read more here.

Guide to commissioning for maximum value

"This guide is for people involved at all stages in commissioning public services in all public bodies."

Guide to commissioning for maximum value
Local Government Association
January 2012

Read more here.

Safeguarding and quality in commissioning care homes

"The government have identified six guiding principles on safeguarding which seek to increase the protection for those most at risk in society."

Safeguarding and quality in commissioning care homes
Social Care Institute for Excellence
February 2012

Read more here.

Guidance for commissioners of primary mental health care services

"Mental health problems should be managed mainly in primary care by the primary health care team working collaboratively with other services, with access to specialist expertise and to a range of secondary care services as required."

Guidance for commissioners of primary mental health care services: volume 2: practical mental health commissioning
Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health
February 2012

Read more here.

Guidance for commissioners of dementia service

"Specialist dementia services support people during particular phases of their illness, including at diagnosis, during a stay in an acute general hospital, or when they are experiencing behavioural or psychosocial problems that require expertise beyond that normally provided by the primary care team."

Guidance for commissioners of dementia service: volume 2: practical mental health commissioning
Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health
February 2012

Read more here.

Guidance for commissioners of liaison mental health services to acute hospitals

"Commissioning of acute liaison services should be universally included in contracts for the provision of acute hospital services and concord to standards set by professional and regulatory authorities."

Guidance for commissioners of liaison mental health services to acute hospitals: volume 2: practical mental health commissioning
Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health
February 2012

Read more here.