Rising to the challenge

Using evidence about what works to improve quality and save money

Published: November 2009

This briefing:

summarises the evidence that quality improvement initiatives can make to saving money
makes recommendations for action
sets out how the Health Foundation and others are supporting the NHS to improve quality and save money.

Background

The recent period of unprecedented financial investment in the NHS is about to end. The NHS Chief Executive, David Nicholson, has said that the NHS will need to make efficiency savings of £15-£20bn.

The aim is to make these savings while continuing to improve quality. However, what is less clear is which initiatives to improve quality have the potential to realise cash savings. This briefing summarises the key challenges facing the NHS, the key findings of our review of the evidence about whether improving quality saves money, and how the Health Foundation and other organisations are supporting the NHS.

For the full review of the evidence please see: Does improving quality save money?

Comments

Mark Lambert 03 December 2010

This is a very helpful resource- summarising a much larger piece of work. Recommendations are mostly strong, but fall significantly short on the potential role of commissioners in improving quality and safety.

Is commissioners only role to design smart contracts? Who takes the responsibility identifying and tackling opportunities for improvement that cross between providers? Or bringing them to the table?
Who needs to prioritise those activities with the biggest opportunity for improving health? Or ensure we target improvements towards those with the worst life chances?

Jonathan Bamber 03 December 2010

Mark, Thank you for your comment and the questions you have posed - we'll get back to you next week on these