Quality assessment of NHS services in England

Cause for concern: Quality Watch annual statement 2014
Health Foundation, Nuffield Trust, October 2014

• An independent assessment of the current quality of NHS health and social care services in England through an analysis of over 200 quality indicators
• "Compared with 10 years ago, waiting times are much shorter; there have been improvements in important areas of safety (such as healthcare-associated infection); and there are more doctors and nurses. However, there are clear indications that we may be failing to hold onto these gains; the past year has seen an increasing number of signs that historic improvements in quality are not being sustained in some areas, or have even reversed."

QualityWatch - is quality improving?

QualityWatch

• QualityWatch is a research programme launched in October 2013 by the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation. Each year the programme will produce a range of reports and analyses, and an annual summary report which draws together all of the analysis we have conducted throughout the year. 
• Is the quality of care in England getting better? QualityWatch annual statement 2013, 
This is the first annual report and provides an overview of our initial research into the quality of care services and in independent scrutiny of the quality of care delivered to patients and service users in England.

• The assessment draws on analysis of nearly 150 quality indicators spanning primary care and community services, hospital care, mental health services and social care. These have been evaluated in relation to six domains of care quality: access; safety; effectiveness; person-centred care and experience; capacity; and equity. 
• It also incorporates findings from two in-depth ‘Focus On’ reports. The first investigates trends between 2001 and 2013 in emergency admissions for people with ‘ambulatory care sensitive’ (ACS) conditions – these are clinical conditions for which an emergency admission could be prevented by good quality primary and outpatient care. 
• The second study examines trends in treatment for people with hip fractures between 2001 and 2011. Together they suggest that the quality of urgent and preventive care require immediate attention.