Information for World Class Commissioning
World Class Commissioning is a developing discipline with information at its heart. Daloni Carlisle reports.
Feature
Digital maps show flu pick-up gaps
NHS emergency planners in Bristol and Avon are using advanced digital mapping to develop their swine flu pandemic response strategy. The mapping has been used to identify the appropriate number and location of antiviral collection points needed for patients in the area. The mapping took into account population statistics and travel times to community pharmacies and […]
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Data added to clinical indicators
The Department of Health and The NHS Information Centre have published the data for more than 200 indicators against which NHS clinical teams can compare their performance. By typing keywords into a section marked Indicators for Quality Improvement on the IC website, individuals can now assess their performance against the indicators that are most relevant […]
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IC boss sets out quality programmes
The chief executive of the Information Centre has claimed that the UK has the potential to have the best technology and information systems in the world “if we continue to stick with it.” He pledged to deliver systems to help achieve this within the next 12-18 months. Exactly one year on from the final report […]
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NHS IC does deal with SAS
The NHS Information Centre has done a partnership deal with SAS for a standardised data management system and unique business analytics platform. The NHS IC says the deal will allow it to integrate, clean, manage and analyse information held on disparate systems more efficiently. It should also enable it to automate the way information is […]
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Coroners Bill protest escalates
Eight healthcare organisations have called for medical records to be excluded from the data-sharing provisions of the Coroners and Justice Bill, in the latest stage of the campaign against them. The organisations, which include the British Medical Association, Royal College of Surgeons and Royal College of General Practitioners, have written to justice secretary Jack Straw […]
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First day of the PROMs
The Department of Health has issued instructions to the NHS on the action that needs to be taken to deliver Patient Reported Outcome Measures from April. The use of PROMs in the health service was first outlined by Lord Darzi in the NHS Next Stage Review. Now commissioners and service providers have been given detailed […]
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NHS Choices £80m contract award imminent
The Department of Health is this week expected to announce the winner of the three-year, £80m contract to run NHS Choices, the patient portal for health service. Gordon Hextall, acting head of NHS Connecting for Health, said at a news conference last Thursday, 10 July, that an announcement of the NHS Choices contract was “due […]
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Swindells calls for stronger use of information
Departing CIO at the Department of Health, Matthew Swindells, has stressed the importance of the NHS using information to make the service better. In the opening speech at the Healthcare Computing conference in Harrogate today, Swindells stressed that NHS managers must see information they produce as an asset, and not just numbers. “NHS managers must […]
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IC boss says no special treatment for Dr Foster
The chief executive of the Information Centre has made it clear that Dr Foster Intelligence has no privileged access to data, as part of its partnership. Speaking at a Health Service Journal (HSJ) conference last month, Tim Straughan said organisations should not have to pay external companies such as Dr Foster for data, as the […]
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