The core focus of clinicians, practitioners, managers and organisations is how best to improve the support that they provide to patents and their communities.
Over recent years it has been recognised that in addition to delivering better outcomes, health and care services must also address the other ‘triple aims’ of increasing health equality and ensuring that resources are used efficiently.
There is now considerable evidence and theory regarding service improvement and the translating knowledge about what works from research into practice. Despite this accumulated wisdom, health and case services can struggle to successfully introduce and sustain improvements in the longer term. Working across professional, service and organisational boundaries is a particular challenge.
The difficulties are many – competing priorities, unreceptive cultures, lack of resources, insufficient improvement skills and fragmented thinking. So too though are the solutions, and with careful planning, design and delivery it is possible to achieve benefits for the long-term.
Contact: Dr Robin Miller or Dr Ross Millar
Our research
Recent and current projects include:
- Pancreatic cancer - optimising the patient pathway - the IMPROVE collaborative
- Service evaluation of a surgical fast-track pathway for pancreatic cancer patients
- Evaluation of the implementation and role of Freedom to Speak Up Guardians in NHS trusts in England, (HSDR 2018-2021)
- Efficiency and quality of mental health trusts in England (Health Foundation, 2017-2021)
- Publication and related bias in health services and delivery research (HSDR): Systematic review of literature, evaluation of empirical evidence and methodology and key informant interviews (2017-2019)
- Chronic disease (integrated and holistic care)
- Evaluation of a programme to support the implementation of Human Factors and Ergonomics in General Practice - the TeamSTEPPS model
- Critical appraisal of Pacesetters Programme in Wales
- Evaluation of the Connected Care Vanguard (in process): Scoping and early findings report
- Evaluation of Human Factors Interventions in General Practice Schemes
- Evaluation of Compassion Recognition Scheme.
- Time to Care and Set to Care
- “Yellow hats are not just for builders”
- Teams and incentives: An evaluation of new models of care in Dudley
- Integrated Care and Support Pioneers Programme Evaluation
- Partnering for Improvement
- Hospital Boards and Health Care Quality Project
- Managing change in social care