Decommissioning health care: identifying best practice through primary and secondary research a prospective mixed-methods study

Williams I, Harlock J, Robert G, Mannion R, Brearley S & Hall K
Record ID 32017000402
English
Authors' objectives: Decommissioning – defined as the planned process of removing, reducing or replacing health-care services – is an important component of current reforms in the NHS. However, the evidence base on which to guide policy and practice in this area is weak. This study aims to formulate theoretically grounded, evidence-informed guidance to support best practice in effective decommissioning of NHS services.
Authors' recommendations: Decommissioning is shaped by change management and implementation, evidence and information, and relationships and politics. We propose an expanded understanding, encompassing organisational and political factors, of how avoidance of loss affects the delivery of decommissioning programmes. Future work should explore the relationships between contexts, mechanisms and outcomes in decommissioning, develop the understanding of how loss affects decisions and explore the long-term impact of decommissioning and its impact on patient care and outcomes.
Details
Project Status: Completed
Year Published: 2017
URL for published report: https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/hsdr/hsdr05220/#/abstract
English language abstract: An English language summary is available
Publication Type: Not Assigned
Country: England, United Kingdom
MeSH Terms
  • Delivery of Health Care
  • Humans
  • Prospective Studies
  • Research
Contact
Organisation Name: NIHR Health Services and Delivery Research programme
Contact Address: NIHR Journals Library, National Institute for Health and Care Research, Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre, Alpha House, University of Southampton Science Park, Southampton SO16 7NS, UK
Contact Name: journals.library@nihr.ac.uk
Contact Email: journals.library@nihr.ac.uk
Copyright: Queen's Printer and Controller of HMSO
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