Keywords
Citation
(2010), "United Kingdom - Does improving quality save money?", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 23 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2010.06223bab.009
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
United Kingdom - Does improving quality save money?
Article Type: News and views From: International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Volume 23, Issue 2
Keywords: Quality improvement initiatives, Healthcare research, Healthcare resource management
Initiatives to improve quality could make an important but limited contribution to addressing the financial pressures in the NHS, according to new research published by the Health Foundation.
John Ovretveit, a leading researcher, reviewed the evidence to answer whether improving quality can also help to address the need for costs to be saved. Answering this question will become increasingly important as NHS resources become increasingly tight.
The research showed that clinicians and managers can increase the likelihood of initiatives to improve quality also saving money by: working together to meet the challenge, using tested improvements that are adapted to local circumstances, using reported experiential evidence; measuring and monitoring the improvement, including how much it has cost and how much it has saved; and above all by managing implementation skilfully.
At a national level, the evidence suggests that the Department of Health and strategic health authorities could improve chances of success by providing NHS organisations with expert support, supporting the development of skills and addressing the barriers created by the financial and performance management systems.
The Health Foundation wants to help make sure that the NHS remains focused on improving healthcare quality while improving productivity and reducing waste. As well as commissioning research in this area, we are also providing practical support to the NHS through our new award scheme, Shine. The award will support clinical teams to implement innovative ideas to save money while maintaining or improving quality. We are pleased that the review of the evidence supported our view that focusing on small scale changes has significant potential to lead to cost savings. Our award is about helping people test their ideas and establish the evidence base for their changes in order to encourage others to adopt the ideas.
For more information: www.health.org.uk