Service change assurance exists to give confidence to the NHS and public that proposals are well thought through, have taken on board a wide range of views and will deliver real benefits. At the heart of the NHS England assurance process are the ‘five tests for service change’ that are in the government’s mandate to NHS England, as updated in Next Steps on the Five Year Forward View. One of these five mandatory tests is that a clear clinical evidence base underpins service change proposals.

Presentation summarising the main findings from Year 1 of the Evaluation

Dudley's evaluation is multi-faceted, containing many discreet and specific pieces of work. This presentation brings together many of these pieces to summarise all findings from the first year of the evaluation. It also looks ahead to consider the use of the evidence and insight as the MCP evolves. 

Multi-disciplinary Teams (MDTs) in primary care are a core component of Dudley's care model; they are also widely used elsewhere. But what difference do they make and how can their performance be optimised? This report sets out the findings for the evaluation of the MDTs, which sought to answer these questions. 

Evaluation of Dudley Outcomes for Health

Dudley has changed the way that primary care is commissioned. The Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) was replaced with a slimmed down local version, backed by training, support and new templates. But did this lead to any gains in efficiency? or quality? and what about variation? This report - and accompanying slide pack - sets out the answers to these questions. 

The Strategy Unit worked as a strategic partner of the NHS Future Fit Programme in Shropshire and Telford  & Wrekin from its initiation and until it was able to move to public consultation. A key output was the comprehensive appraisal of acute hospital options, the recommendations from which were unanimously approved by a Joint Commissioning Committee of two CCGs with their partners.

The Strategy Unit worked as a strategic partner of the NHS Future Fit Programme in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin from its initiation and until it was able to move to public consultation. A key output was a comprehensive Integrated Impact Assessment of acute hospital options that enabled commissioners to make a unanimous decision in a very sensitive context. This included an additional focus around women’s and children’s services.

Aiming to inform the design of a new primary care-led model of care, this report summarises evidence on referral management.

This was the first evaluative output from the New Care Models programme. It presents early findings from Dudley's work, drawing on interviews with strategic stakeholders. The report shows the challenges and opportunities facing Dudley's Vanguard programme at an early stage of development.

Embedding PROMs and PREMs into Dudley's MCP Contract

The contract for Dudley's MCP is outcome based. Many of the outcomes of real interest - changes in patient health or experience - will only come from the use of specific tools and measures, since this date is not currently in the system. But there are many such tools and measures, so which ones might serve the MCP best?

This report reviews candidates measures and make recommendations as to which ones seem most appropriate given the aims of the MCP.

The MCP will be a new organisation, with a new contract and a remit to change the way that care in Dudley is delivered. 

So what are the expected impacts of these changes? What about the inequalities: will any groups be especially affected? What does the local population think? This report sets out the results of an initial impact assessment for the MCP.