NHS England has published priorities for the winter period, outlining the steps to be taken by NHSE and by ICB and providers, including how data will be used to support patient safety, quality of care and transformation.
On how NHSE will support transformation and improvement, plans are set out to launch a clinical and operational productivity improvement programme in September, which will include materials and data for organisations to use. It will also include provider-led learning and improvement networks with the view to help organisations implement and embed “a focused set of actions”.
Regarding patient safety and quality of care NHSE outlines how the winter operating function will be functional from 1 November and will aim to provide capabilities seven days a week such as situational reporting, designed to help organisations respond to pressures in real time.
NHSE will also complete a Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) data-led review of the support needs across all acute sites. Following this, improvement resources will be deployed as appropriate in order to support implementation of key actions within the ‘recovering urgent and emergency care’ plan, with particular focus on patient safety.
When it comes to next steps, NHSE highlights recently published guidance in three key areas to support optimisation of winter plans; same day emergency care service specification, single point of access hubs, and the virtual wards operational framework.
Also from NHS England
Last week HTN reported how NHS England awarded a contract to support the transformational activities of the digital urgent and emergency team, worth an estimated £37,415,000.
Another recent opportunity sees NHSE seek suppliers capable of creating an online learning resource for allied health professionals to develop their digital skills through NHSE’s Digital Academy.
In August, we covered a letter for trusts and integrated care boards which outlines the emergency preparedness, resilience and response exercise programme for 2024 to 2030.
