The Nuffield Trust is dedicated to research on improving healthcare, are current projects are listed below.

 

Evaluation of the Whole System Demonstrator Project

Project lead: Professor Stan Newman , UCL

This research is part of a large randomised controlled trial and aims to track the impact of of telecare and telehealth devices on the use and costs of NHS and social care and the return on investment.  This 2-year trial funded by the Department of Health involves 6000 cases and controls.
May 08-Sept 2010.

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Predicting future costs of social care

Project lead: Dr Martin Bardsley, Nuffield Trust

This Department of Health funded project will test the feasibility of developing a statistical model to predict which individuals are most likely to incur social care costs payable by local authorities.
May 08-March 09

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Person-based Resource Allocation

Project lead: Dr Jennifer Dixon , Nuffield Trust

Developing a person-based risk adjusted resource allocation formula for general practices for practice based commissioning is the focus of this Department of Health study.

Statistical modeling will be used to develop a formula for allocating NHS resources to practice based commissioners.
June 08-September 09

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Analysis of performance across the 4 UK countries

Project leads: Professor Nick Mays, LSHTM and Professor Gwyn Bevan , LSE

This study will summarise the arrangements for the funding and organisation of the NHS in the 4 countries in the last 15 years. The analysis aims to assess the potential for learning across the NHS and how this might be exploited more effectively in future for the benefit of policymakers at national level.

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Engaging staff in the NHS : Aligning incentives to achieve higher levels of performance

Project lead: Professor Chris Ham , University of Birmingham

This project commissioned by the Nuffield Trust explores the relevance and applicability of employee ownership and staff partnership models to the NHS. The project aims to summarise the literature on employee ownership and staff partnership models, identify and describe examples of partnership models outside the NHS, organise a number of high level seminars to discuss the literature and understand the examples.

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Transitions in NHS Management: taking the long view

Project leads: Dr Mark Exworthy, Royal Holloway University and Dr Fraser Macfarlane , University of Surrey

Coinciding with 60th anniversary of NHS and 25 years since Griffiths report on introduction of general management in NHS, this research examines how NHS managers have changed in response to political and organisational change. Adaptation by managers to restructuring and other changes aimed at improving healthcare has key implications for training and leadership of future managers.

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Parallel changes in organisational and professional regulation

Projects leads: James Johnson and Dr Tom Smith , British Society of Gastroenterology

This project explores the connections between organisational and professional regulation and the potential for these to become mutually reinforcing in positioning quality at the centre of discussions of reform.  Findings could impact across the UK and have potential to influence policy agenda.

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Currently in progress is a study on characteristics and prevalence of Chronic Hepatitis B in the UK   more details.

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