A study to understand and optimise community hospital care in the NHS (MoCHA)

Description

Objectives and brief methodology

The project aims to use two existing data sets (the NHS Benchmarking Community Hospital Project and the National Audit of Intermediate Care) to describe in detail the current and potential performance of community hospital in-patient care for older people.

The objectives of the study are

1. To measure the current relative performance of community hospital in-patient care for older people (what does current community hospital practice look like?)
2. To identify the characteristics of community hospital in-patient care for older people that optimises performance (what does ‘best’ look like?)
3. To investigate the current impact of community hospital in-patient care for older people on secondary care and the potential impact if the community hospital care was optimised to best practice nationally (What might the effects of “best” look like?)
4. To determine if there is an association between the configurations of short-term, community-based services and reduction in secondary care bed utilisation by older people. (Is there an optimum whole system configuration, and what are the tolerances?)
5. To develop web-based interactive toolkits for use by local commissioners and community hospital teams that support operational changes to optimise performance.

 

These objectives will be realised through four inter-linked studies

Study 1: Cost efficiency modelling (heath economics study)

Study 2: National community hospital survey (co-produced with the Community Hospital Association)

Study 3: In depth case studies (quantitative and qualitative study)

Study 4: Development of web-based quality improvement toolkits

 

Participant criteria

The in depth case study analysis which will be undertaken as part of study 3 will use community hospital sites which have been identified by phase one of the study.

 

Timescales

July 2014 to June 2017

 

Further information

Partners & Collaborators

Birmingham University (Prof. Jon Glasby),RAND Europe (Dr Ellen Nolte)

This summary represents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (Health Services and Delivery Research, 12/177/04 – A study to understand and optimise community hospital ward care in the NHS). The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the National Institute for Health Research or the Department of Health