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The Nuffield Trust
Independent source of evidence-based research and policy analysis for improving health care in the UK. Web site with health research, analysis, and information
http://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/

The Neighbourhood Works
Instead of identifying the deficiencies of a community Forever Manchester uses the asset-based community development approach, which identifies the strengths and skills that are already present in neighbourhoods.
http://forevermanchester.com/

HEART UK Cholesterol Charity
Is for anyone affected by raised cholesterol. They bring people together, provide information, support, education and campaign for improved identification & standards of care.
http://heartuk.org.uk/

Digital Services Cornwall CIC (DiSC)
A not-for-profit social enterprise with the aim to exploit technology to improve the quality of people’s lives through helping them to help themselves
http://www.disc-cic.org

Vasculitis UK web site
Accurate and up to date information about everything to do with vasculitis.Vasculitis UK is run by people with vasculitis for people with vasculitis and for their families and carers.
http://www.vasculitis.org.uk/

Latest Provsional Hospital Episode Statistics: Emergency Admissions Continuing to increase?

The latest provisional Hospital Episode Statistics indicate that Emergency Admissions to hospital could still be on the rise. The last quarter figures for Nov, Dec and Jan show rises on the previous year. The difference in the two quarters being a total increase of 21,306. While these are only provisional figures and yet to be finalised and the increase represents just over a 1% rise in numbers, the danger is that these are predominantly older people requiring longer hospital stays.

The question might also be asked - how many of this number are also the same patient readmitted a number of times?

KINGs Fund Information Service

The Kings Fund will answer questions on a range of topics; provide a list of references, find a figure or statistic, check a book reference or point you in the direction of other useful resources. In addition they offer an in-depth literature search service, for further details:
http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/library/got_a_question.html

Supporting Hospitals to Become Dementia Friendly

This resource has been compiled from a comprehensive and up to date range of resources to support Hospitals in meeting the Dementia Action Alliance 'A Right Care Call to Action' to create Dementia Friendly Hospitals. It has been aligned with the National CQUIN for Dementia to help Hospitals in working towards this and the NHS change model.

Housing and Health

Do Housing improvements improve health and socio-economic outcomes?
http://ph.cochrane.org/sites/ph.cochrane.org/files/uploads/Housingimprovements_onepagesummary.pdf

Finding and Comparing Cancer Treatment

A new online service comparison tool to help people find and compare Cancer treatment services. By using the ‘Find Your Treatment’ search tool you can search for information on NHS cancer services by postcode, hospital or cancer type.
For each service you can access detailed reports that explain the quality of the service provided by the hospital or cancer service.

Number of individuals getting NHS continuing healthcare

This data shows number of individuals getting NHS Continuing Healthcare: 2009 to 2010 onwards. While shows that numbers receiving Continuing Health Care are relatively small the figures also show a steady and persistent climb in numbers

HealthWatch is a registered Trade Mark No. 2582262 in name of Path-to-Health Limited, a Social Enterprise
This site has no relation whatsoever to the Local Healthwatch developed by the Care Quality Commission and Department of Health or any other organisation of a similar name. We receive no government,local authority, NHS or Health and Social Care Private Sector sponsorship and are completely independent

Food Bank Britain

Patient Reported Outcome Measures Survey (PROMS) May 2013

Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) assess the quality of care delivered to NHS patients from the patient perspective. The latest provisional results were published in May

PROMs calculate the health gains after surgical treatment using pre- and post-operative patient surveys. These comparisons include all NHS funded patients incuding those using private providers. Extracted data is also now beginning to provide comparisons on post operative complications such as level of infections and readmission.

PROMs is limited at present to four procedures: hip replacements knee replacements hernia varicose veins The first Patient survey suggested benefit from common procedures varied markedly by provider

Final 2009-10 and 2010-11 results of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) surveys in England were published together for the first time by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC); allowing the first ever year-on-year comparison.

As data quality improves and the number of procedures covered increases, this information should provide a good indicator for patients choosing hospitals- once someone makes it a bit more accessible to us ordinary folks. Maybe something for the local healthwatch? Or perhaps something for the Sec of States proposed new Star rating system

Between April and September 2012 over 100,000 people in the UK were fed by by Trussel Trust food
banks. In some regions the rate was
as high as one in 250
people,
with Food Banks in
theNorth West
being the busiest
Food Banks are now
considered a mainstream provison for helping the 'poor' as this current government adopt much of an18th C Poor Law approach of 'outsourcing' poor relief to private provider and local charity.

There is now a shift to in-kind and voluntary assistance following the decision last year to abolish the government-run social fund and to replace it with more than 150 welfare assistance schemes, operated by English local authorities and the Welsh and Scottish governments

Following the changes to Welfare benefit payments and the imposition of the 'bedroom tax' the numbers using food banks can only be expected to climb considerably since April 1st
View the Guardian data blog to see where in UK people rely most on Foodbanks