Alison Turner

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I'm Head of the Evidence Analysis team within the Strategy Unit at NHS Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit. I'm interested in how knowledge management can support value based healthcare and evidence based decision making. I've previously worked in a range of different healthcare settings, including acute care, commissioning, health services research and medical education. More recently, I worked at NHS Evidence and NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement.

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Improving access to primary care risks fuelling demand unless a system-wide view taken, says Nuffield Trust

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This new report, based on a workshop in March 2014, sets out to inform the development of 20 pilots (in England) of the Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund, to improve access to primary care.   The report focuses on the debate around unintended consequences of extending (e.g. longer opening hours) or broadening (e.g. phone or online consultations) access – will [read the full story…]

Commissioning not yet reached potential in improving outcomes and efficiencies in mental health, says new report

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This new paper shares findings from small-scale research into the perceptions and experiences of third sector organisations in NHS and local authority-led commissioning of mental health services. The role of the third sector is of particular interest, given current policy directions towards greater integration, parity of esteem, personal health budgets, community mobilisation and cross sector working. The report notes [read the full story…]

It may not be possible to generate clear-cut evidence on integrated care, reports a new evidence summary

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This recent report, commissioned by the European Commission and compiled by RAND Europe, aims to summarise economic evaluation evidence on the impact of integrated care.  The authors restricted their evidence search to systematic reviews and meta analyses, which is understandable as this is described as a rapid review but the authors acknowledge this has limitations, [read the full story…]

Co-production recognises service users as assets to help shape and transform services, says new report

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Mobilising networks of volunteers can provide peer support to patients with long term conditions

Co-production and community mobilisation are not new concepts to the NHS, or indeed commissioning – recent years have seen examples such as the King’s Fund Experience Based Co-Design toolkit and NESTA’s People Powered Health programme.  However, this new report suggests that in the NHS we haven’t entirely grasped the more radical aspects of the concept.  [read the full story…]

Integrating funds across health and social care is not a panacea according to recent review

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This review from the University of York’s Centre for Health Economics is certainly timely for commissioners in England, with plans for the Better Care Fund well underway and Simon Stevens, the new Chief Executive for NHS England, recently quoted as saying “no-one should pretend just combining two financially leaky buckets will magically create a watertight funding solution” [read the full story…]

Variations in diagnostics present opportunity for improving patient experience says new Atlas of Variation

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This week sees the publication of a new Atlas of Variation, focusing on diagnostic services (in England) for the first time.  Readers familiar with the Atlases of Variation will be aware the atlases are designed to highlight variations in services and to encourage commissioners and providers to ask questions to understand if the variations are [read the full story…]

Research suggests economic model for virtual wards not viable on hospital activity alone

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This new report is an important addition to the evidence base specifically on case management and more generally in terms of interventions to reduce hospital admissions but, consistent with other studies in this area, can’t give definitive answers.  Much of what already exists in relation to virtual wards is anecdotal or lacks detail and it’s [read the full story…]

Learn from historical deficits to prepare for future financial challenge, says new Nuffield Trust report

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This new report from the Nuffield Trust is the first output of a project developed with the Audit Commission and NHS Confederation.  This first output is the result of qualitative research to capture learning from earlier periods of financial deficit within the NHS, with a view to preparing for the financial challenges ahead.  The second [read the full story…]

“House of care” model can improve outcomes for long term conditions says new report

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A new report from the Kings Fund, Delivering better services for people with long-term conditions:  building the house of care, shares learning from the “house of care” model which was developed through the Year of Care programme and discussed in a recent workshop and series of interviews.  The “house of care” metaphor is used to [read the full story…]

Integrated care for mental health needs new thinking, according to inquiry report

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Good integrated care for people with mental health needs remains the exception rather than the rule

Integrated care is seen as critical to delivering better quality services for patients and service users  and a key element of health policies in the UK.  However, the evidence base suggests a fragmented picture, with variations in definitions and implementations limiting what can be learned and applied elsewhere.  This new report, Crossing Boundaries: Improving integrated [read the full story…]