Patient choice has been central to the government's recent NHS reforms, along with a new payment system that rewards hospitals that are attractive to patients. But will these reforms make services more responsive? In the treatment of HIV and AIDS, patients have always had a choice of which hospital to ...
The purpose of this manual is to provide a comprehensive set of organisational standards covering the major aspects of an acute general hospital. This will form the basis of a professional peer review (the survey) the aim of which is to support the staff of hospitals in the provision of ...
This history begins with the foundation of the Lancet in 1823, and ends in 1982 with the restructuring of the National Health Service, when the management of hospitals in isolation from other health services had ceased. The opening chapters consider the endowed and voluntary hospitals, the poor law infirmaries and ...
These guidelines have been compiled in response to an assessed need from hospitals for help with commissioning arts and artists. It is divided into seven chapters and includes guidance on the need for a committee; choosing a site; the commissioning process; fundraising. Its recommendations are based on 10 years of ...
These papers were written in an attempt to help people appointed to the comparatively new post of organiser of voluntary help in the hospital service, and are directed particularly to those with little or no experience of the hospital world. It is also hoped that all staff, particularly nurses and ...
This report is of a study started in 1976 which was planned to seek the views of patients about their treatment in hospital. The objectives were: to identify deficiencies in communication between patients and the medical and nursing staff and where possible to remedy these; to seek ways of improving ...
This item provides information and advice for members of steering groups responsible for implementing organisational audit. From joining the programme to assessing the surveyors' recommendations, this booklet clarifies the whole process and explains how it's done.
The aim of this project was to discover whether the needs of people whose relatives die in hospital are being met within that setting. Surveys were undertaken to gain the views of both sides, by seeking both the experiences of bereaved relatives, and by ascertaining the procedures and practices of ...
The conference reported here was jointly sponsored by the King's Fund Centre and the D.H.S.S. to further explore established themes around the move of children from mental handicap hospitals. The specific aims were: to share experiences between those involved in moving children and young people out of hospital: to explore ...
This paper describes innovatory schemes and progress in bringing children with learning difficulties out of hospital. At the conference, Barnardo's N.W. Division presented information about their professional fostering scheme, followed by Portsmouth and S.E. Hampshire Health Authority's provision of alternative accommodation in the community for mentally handicapped children. A dehospitalisation ...
In 1957/58, the King's Fund conducted an enquiry into the problem of noise control in hospitals, and the results of this enquiry were published in a report in November 1958. In 1960 it was felt that some useful information might be obtained by inviting the fifteen hospitals of the initial ...
The idea of finding out which particular noises in hospitals were most worrying to patients was considered by the King's Fund in 1956 and it was decided that the hospital visitors should make special enquiries during the course of their visits to London hospitals. The resulting comments, which were made ...
This document brings up to date the particulars of pay bed accommodation in London shown in appendix II of the report on pay bed accommodation. The original terms of reference for this report were "to inquire and report upon the question of hospital accommodation in London for persons prepared to ...
This manual suggests subjects for enquiry and observation when hospital visits are being undertaken to gain first hand knowledge of the hospital and its work. The areas of the hospital covered are : inpatients; casualty patients; outpatients; medical records department; elderly people; operating theatres; x-ray and pathological departments; physiotherapy, occupational ...
This conference was convened to consider and discuss the hospital services, their organisation and scope with special reference to methods of administration. From each country was presented a paper written by the representative of that country dealing in fairly general terms with the principal features of its acute hospital service.
This report describes a visit made by staff of the Charing Cross Hospital to a number of recently built hospitals in Europe in May 1947. The visit was financed by a grant from the King's Fund. The purpose of the visit was to study methods of hospital design and planning. ...
It was suggested that the future of efficient hospital library services could only be assured if fuller knowledge were available of existing services and their cost. This survey of a limited area was undertaken to prepare the way for a conference of all interested bodies in the country. The terms ...
The aims of the survey were: i) to record and describe the experience of hospitals in relation to the recruitment, training ,remuneration and method of working of voluntary service organisers; ii) to study the achievements of full-time organisers in the use of volunteers within the hospitals and in their relationships ...
This report is the outcome of an enquiry into the subject of relationships between GPs and hospitals. Its object is to draw attention to the problem of communication between hospitals and general practitioners and make any recommendations which seem indicated.
The theme for this conference was the pressure for more medical services, including curative care of all kinds and medical care and for more hospital services of all types, including acute, mixed, long-term and psychiatric services. Each paper provides an objective statement of facts as they exist in each country.
This second conference was presented with very definite and deliberately chosen terms of reference to form the basis of the papers and discussions. These were: 1) in the changing context of hospital administration what are the most important problems of today?; 2) how are these problems being dealt with and ...
This paper was prepared in November 1962 for the Management Committee of the Mid Herts Hospital Group to give guidance on the operational policy for the new Queen Elizabeth II Hospital. Although much of the detail in the policy will only apply to this particular hospital, the general principles would ...
This report looks at the benefits of introducing a washing machine into a hospital kitchen. Pots and pans were cleaner with a lower bacteria count, so the benefits derived were considered well worth the expense involved.
At the request of the St.Helier Hospital management committee a survey of the catering service for staff was carried out. This resulted in drawings being prepared and an outline of the operational catering policy being submitted. Certain amendments to the policy were made by the Committee and they have been ...
A survey was undertaken to examine the cost of the catering service provided in small hospitals where catering staff costs were considered to be high. The hospitals surveyed were : Cambourne-Redruth hospital; Penrice hospital; St Austell district hospital and for each hospital the salaries and wages expenditure, and the provisions ...
The King's Fund Catering Advisory Service undertook to investigate the provisions costs at Hammersmith Hospital. for this purpose the Treasurer's Department submitted records of patient occupancy, ward meal requisitions, hospital and medical school staff meals, stores issue sheets and the menus for the period 9th to 22nd February 1970 inclusive. ...
This document looks at the undertaking by the King's Fund and by the Nuffield Trust to do a complete unit costing of a small number of representative London and provincial hospitals. Specific activities included in the investigation were: to study the administrative organisation of the hospitals; to investigate the existing ...
During the past two years, some of the most important and frequently recurring problems raised at discussions in the Hospital Administrative Staff college were related to hospital bed occupancy. In order to provide some material on which to base lectures and discussions for the courses held at the college, a ...
This survey originated from tutorial discussions at the college, at a time when there was concern about the difficulty experienced by hospital authorities in recruiting grammar school leavers in the London area. It was decided to seek information about the problem from regional training officers and, at the same time, ...
This circular looks at the problem of food waste in hospital catering. Guidelines are given as to how catering standards may be improved just by tackling the problem of waste.
The object of this book is to make the task of providing special diets easier by explanations, in simple terms of what these diets set out to do and of the ways and means of providing them. The publication is intended for ward sisters and all concerned with catering in ...
A study carried out over a twelve month period investigated the use of detergents, detergent dispensers, rinse additives and injectors in hospital catering departments. However, observations on other aspects of dishwashing were noted during the study and ways in which these processes could be more efficient are included.
This publication contains reports on a series of twelve conferences held at the Hospital Centre between June-December 1970 on the subject of services for the elderly in hospital and community. These reports have been prepared largely at the request of the conference participants who asked for a record of the ...
At the request of the Ministry of Health, the King's Fund set up a working party in 1964 to enquire into the advantages and disadvantages of using a central vacuum cleaning system in hospitals as opposed to individual cleaners. Hospitals which already had a central vacuumation system in operation were ...
This document lists a wide variety of terms which are closely and marginally connected with the planning of hospitals. The source for the definition of each term is given at the end of each entry, and where appropriate the British Standard number is given.
This publication contains details of hospital house journals, newsletters and bulletins at present known to the Hospital Centre. It is realised that this list may well be incomplete and the Hospital Centre will be glad to have details of any further publications that can be added, and any further information ...
This memorandum has been written as a guide to all those interested in hospital administration who may be involved in deciding their own hospital's nursing establishment requirements. The document does not attempt to produce any quick and easy formula as an answer to the staffing problem of any one hospital. ...
The aim of this study is: to assist hospitals to gain information on the views of their patients, enabling them to take remedial action when desirable and practicable; to compile results centrally so that inter-hospital comparisons can be made.
A hospital-based social education project is taken to mean a scheme in which a group of school pupils regularly spend some time each week in a hospital or similar institution. Two groups are involved in the organisation and ultimate success or failure of such a scheme: the school staff and ...
Volunteers are able to spend time listening to elderly people whether in hospital or in a home, time which professional staff and even relatives are unable to spare. If used effectively on a hospital ward, volunteers can relieve some of the pressure which staff may feel in being unable to ...
This pamphlet lists a variety of jobs that volunteers have done in general, psychiatric, geriatric and children's hospitals or departments. Each of the jobs listed is being performed in at least one hospital.
The Revised Uniform System of Hospital Accounts is a standardised form of account which has to be adopted by all hospitals applying for grants from King Edward's Hospital Fund for London, the Metropolitan Hospital Sunday Fund and the Hospital Saturday Fund. The form of accounts described in this document is ...
The King's Fund undertook a survey of the problem of administration of admissions of patients to hospitals, and of possible solutions. It concentrated largely on hospitals that were believed to have already established good practice in this field. A questionnaire was distributed to the 60 general hospitals in the United ...
Criticisms of hospital food arise mainly from the effects of delay between cooking and eating. The Catering Advisory Service of king Edward's Fund has been particularly interested in studying ways and means of shortening this interval. This study on peripheral finishing kitchens is one of the possible solutions. It has ...
This is a report of an investigation into crockery washing with particular reference to the use of detergent dispensers and the centralisation of patients' crockery washing.
This document presents the findings of an investigation into the problems of prescribing, distributing and administering prescribed drugs in small hospitals
This document presents the evaluation of the New Guy's House: to establish as accurately as possible the extent to which the building was fulfilling the intention of those who planned it and meeting the needs of patients and staff as a surgical block; to provide guidance to other authorities who ...
This memorandum makes suggestions for hospitals about the steps which could be taken to prevent fires. These include heating, lighting and power; rubbish and litter; access to fire fighting purposes; fire exits marked clearly and not obstructed; hand appliances; fire drills and instruction.
This report looks at the evaluation undertaken of the Ganymede meal service system at Bethnal Green Hospital, in particular the distribution of food to patients and the high catering costs at the hospital.
This checklist is the result of a study carried out during the management course which formed part of the National Training Scheme in Hospital Administration at the King's Fund College. The aim of the study was to discover the extent to which good industrial relations practice, as set out in ...
Because of the ever increasing difficulty of obtaining and retaining skilled catering staff, particularly in the larger cities and comparatively remote country districts, this report looks at the ways in which better use of the few skilled staff available could be achieved by the introduction of automation and mechanisation of ...
Increasing interest in the quality of health services and the appointment of officers with designated local responsibilities has generated an urgent demand for ideas on implementing quality assurance, especially from district officers. This collection is one individual's view of relevant literature and activity. It reflects the initial emphasis of the ...
In 1976, the Jubilee Project was established by the King's Fund to commemorate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee by upgrading wards in ten of London's older hospitals. Many of London's district general hospitals had not been rebuilt as had been planned in the early 1960s, and little renovation had ...
This pamphlet is a photocopy of the programme for the `Miniature Hospital' exhibition which was mounted as a result of a suggestion which had been made in the Autumn of 1929 to the Propaganda Committee of the Fund that a scale model of a modern hospital, complete as far as ...
This pamphlet is a photocopy of the programme for the `Miniature Hospital' exhibition which was mounted as a result of a suggestion which had been made in the Autumn of 1929 to the Propaganda Committee of the Fund that a scale model of a modern hospital, complete as far as ...
This report details research undertaken by the landscape architect of the King's Fund into development of new hospital grounds. It includes advice to hospital planners and builders as to how they should make use of the natural resources of their sites. When a hospital is to be built, extreme care ...
This is the fourth in the series of do-it-yourself surveys of hospitals published by the King's Fund. The report describes the views of elderly people who are likely to spend the rest of their lives in hospital, together with the views of their visitors and the hospital staff. The survey ...
This is the third edition of a survey which aims to devise a questionnaire that general hospitals could use to find the views of patients about their stay in hospital. The questions cover five areas of life in hospital: the ward and its equipment; sanitary accommodation; meals; activities; and care ...
The terms of reference for the enquiry were : "to enquire and report as to the existing provision for pensions to officers and staff employed in the London Voluntary Hospitals and as to what alteration or extension (if any) of the existing arrangements is desirable and practicable, and generally to ...
This document presents recommendations for the employment of domestic staff in hospitals as it had been noted that although a considerable advance had been made in the provision of suitable accommodation and amenities for hospital domestic staff, there was still a grave shortage of labour which was aggravated by a ...
In the first half-century of its work, the King's Fund was concerned with the support, benefit and extension of the voluntary hospitals of London, and therefore had little or no contact with mental and mental deficiency hospitals. When the National Health Service Act was implemented in 1948, the need for ...
The memorandum discusses methods by which individual hospitals may prepare records of quantities of items consumed (for example gas, soap, food), and may use them for the purpose of securing the co-operation of the various departments of the hospitals in strengthening the control of expenditure.
One recommendation from a report on hospital catering was that catering in hospitals should be treated as the function of a separate department, under the charge of a qualified and experienced caterer, with competent staff. The Fund decided to establish the School of Hospital Catering. Initially this would provide refresher ...
In 1941, King Edward's Hospital Fund for London and the Voluntary Hospitals Committee for London established a Joint Committee to consider post-war problems of the hospitals of London with a view to maintaining and improving the standard of services which they render to patients. This is the report produced by ...
This document, presented in tabular form, is a summary of the published accounts of London hospitals and serves to provide each hospital with the figures of other hospitals as an aid to financial control.
This project paper is the result of a series of small informal meetings held at the King's Fund Centre during 1971-73 to consider various aspects of the care of children in hospital and, in particular, to discuss ways of meeting the emotional needs of the child in the ward. The ...
This document divides into three distinct sections. The first considers improvements in the Statistical Returns prepared by King Edward's Hospital Fund for London in order to facilitate a truer comparison between the expenditure of different hospitals. The second part presents tables which should be used for statistical returns, including the ...
This document divides into three distinct sections. The first considers improvements in the statistical returns prepared by King Edward's Hospital Fund for London in order to facilitate a truer comparison between the expenditure of different hospitals. The second part presents tables which should be used for statistical returns, including the ...
The main study was carried out in 18 smaller hospitals in West Cornwall without pharmacists. The objectives were: introduction of an improved design of prescription sheets for acute and long-stay hospitals; production of a procedural booklet on the prescribing, administration and distribution of drugs for medical, nursing and pharmaceutical staff; ...
By describing advances in medical science, this booklet explains why hospitals in 1934 cost so much more to run than they previously did. An appeal for further subscriptions to King Edward's Hospital Fund is made.
The paper begins with a background study on hospitals in the National Health Service by the Secretariat of the Royal Commission on the NHS. Hospital types and numbers are investigated including district general hospitals, community hospitals, teaching and specialist hospitals, followed by a discussion of specific aspects of the hospital ...
In 1976 it was suggested to the King's Fund by a group of younger hospital doctors that it might be valuable to take a fresh look at the organisation of hospital clinical work and those responsible for it. A working party was established to consider ways in which medical manpower ...
The conference was based on the Consumers' Association report "Children in Hospital" which investigated the extent to which hospitals have implemented DHSS recommendations since the Platt Report. Its aim was to develop the concept of change and in particular how staff with responsibility for children in a general hospital face ...
This report contains the three papers read to the King's Fund History of Nursing conference on 29 July 1983. The papers deal with widely different aspects of history but all demonstrate how politics and policy constrain and influence the structure and function of nursing and midwifery. The titles of the ...
This project paper presents the results of a series of studies of hospital house journals. It reflects the views of producers and consumers - the editors of house journals and their readers. The project has highlighted the importance of good communications in hospitals, has demonstrated that a house publication can ...
This report concerns the design of a questionnaire for hospitals to assess the views of their own outpatients. The survey was conducted between 1974 and 1976 in nine general hospitals. In addition supplementary surveys in one or more specialties were held in three small hospitals attached to one of the ...
The paper summarises recent literature giving an economic perspective on acute hospitals. The issues discussed include: the optimal size of a hospital; the role of the hospital in relation to other suppliers; cost containment and productivity; and the scope for cost reduction.
The aim of this report is to help those planning to survey patients' opinions on hospital care by summarising the experience of others who have already done so. It describes the different types of surveys used, the resulting action achieved and a summary is given of changes in levels of ...
It is widely believed that homeless people place considerable demands on emergency hospital services, but quantifying this in a systematic way has proved difficult. The primary purpose of this paper is to develop a better empirical understanding of the nature and extent of unplanned admissions to acute hospitals in London ...
This conference brought together different professionals involved in caring for sick children. The conference was opened by the chairman of the Children's Committee who described this committee's advisory role to the Secretary of State on development and co-ordination of health and personal social services for children. Other speakers covered the ...
This report outlines and discusses the King's Fund Ward Sister Training Project being piloted at Guy's Hospital and Whipps Cross Hospital in London. This arose from debate in 1977 about how the Fund could respond to the climate of management awareness and professional concern about the role of the ward ...
Both the National Staff Committee and the National Nursing Staff Committee have drawn attention to the importance of the techniques of personnel selection and interviewing, and urge that members and officers of employing authorities should have some knowledge of them. The procedure was laid down in HM(67)2 and HM(67)71 but ...