Improving adult asthma care: learning from national projects

In May 2010, NHS Improvement – Lung invited NHS organisations to work in partnership on projects dedicated to improving the asthma patient pathway

Cholecystectomy services: reducing length of stay in hospital

This kit from the NHS Institute is a practical solution for trusts looking to improve their day case rates and provides step by step guidance as well as a pathway mapping poster to assess whether best practice is being met.

NHS Operating Framework 2012/13 and Secondary Uses Service

The Secondary Uses Service (SUS) is primarily a data warehouse that provides access to anonymous patient-based data for purposes other than direct clinical care.

Guidance on direct access to diagnostic tests for cancer

This guidance deals with the circumstances and symptoms that may warrant direct referrals and is aimed at health care professionals across primary and secondary care and those who both provide and commission services.

First mandatory care standards for children with diabetes

The Best Practice Tariff for Paediatric Diabetes sets out 13 mandatory care standards for paediatric diabetes service teams to meet. Providers who can prove they meet these levels of care will qualify for greater funding.

Intentional rounding: what is the evidence?

In January 2011 the Prime Minister called for changes in the way nurses deliver care, and recommended NHS hospitals implement hourly nursing rounds

Use of e-Alerts: NHS Kidney Online Survey Results

The 2009 NCEPOD report Adding Insult to Injury highlighted poor care of those with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), including a delay in the recognition of AKI. Electronic alert (e-alert) flagging systems have been recognised as a valuable tool to highlight AKI to clinicians both on admission of patients to hospital

Nurses, midwives and pharmacists now able to provide faster and more effective pain relief

Changes to Misuse of Drugs Regulations mean that appropriately qualified nurses and pharmacists will now be able to prescribe controlled drugs like morphine, diamorphine and prescription-strength co-codamol.

Data briefing: Emergency hospital admissions for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions: Identifying the potential for reductions

This data briefing from the King’s Fund looks at patterns of admissions for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions and assesses how emergency admissions for these conditions could be reduced.