How nurses can implement the high impact actions to improve quality and cost effectiveness

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing and Midwifery Practice
• Health Economics

Background:

• The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement published eight high-impact actions for nursing and midwifery in November 2009.
• These actions were projected to save over £9 billion annually while improving care quality if implemented nationwide.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide context for the NHS high-impact actions initiative.
• To introduce a series of articles detailing the achievement of these actions.
• To summarize supporting materials and case studies demonstrating successful initiatives.

Main Methods:

• Review of published case studies from various healthcare settings.
• Analysis of supporting materials related to the high-impact actions.
• Synthesis of information for a Nursing Times series.

Main Results:

• The NHS Institute has released case studies showcasing successful initiatives linked to each of the eight actions.
• A range of supporting materials are available to aid implementation.
• The first article in the series sets the context for the initiative.

Conclusions:

• The high-impact actions offer a significant opportunity for financial savings and quality improvement within the NHS.
• Further articles will provide practical implementation guidance for individual actions.
• Successful initiatives exist across different settings, demonstrating feasibility.