'Fundamental changes in the Health Service demand a radical shift in approaches to patient core. The NHS is becoming increasingly led by the primary care sector. This has a greater meaning than simply more involvement of GPs in secondary care purchasing. It means that we start from where the patient is, in their own home and community. We provide care for them there and only move them into secondary services if and when it is appropriate to do so. 'Extending Primary Care shows that it is possible to experiment beyond traditional boundaries in these areas. It will provide encouragement to people who work in some of these difficult settings by showing what can be done...This book could not be more timely as a resource to many managers who will need to extend their own understanding of primary care - in the fullest sense of the whole team of people in primary care and the associated community health services.' From the Foreword by Barbara Stocking

Over-crowding in Emergency Departments (EDs) generates potential inefficiencies. Using regional administrative data, we investigate the impact of an increase in the accessibility of primary care on ED visits in Italy. We test whether extending practice opening hours up to 12 hours/day reduces inappropriate ED visits. We estimate count data models, considering different measures for ED visits recorded at the list level. Since the extension programme is voluntary, we also account for the potential endogeneity of participation, using a two-stage residual inclusion and a GMM approach. Our results show that improving primary care accessibility favours a more appropriate use of EDs.

This book provides complete coverage of the appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to patients with cardiovascular diseases - in one easy-to-use source. The primary care physician will find information on all types of cardiovascular illnesses. The many charts, tables and diagrams, as well as a special color plates section, bring the text to life. Key points are highlighted and there are extensive references and recommended reading lists.

Mental health conditions are becoming more prevalent in today’s society and it has been estimated that 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health issue at some point in their lives. The increase in mental health complaints has also affected the volume of calls to 999 in which paramedics are regularly called to address patients’ mental health concerns. The complexities and nuances within mental health means that many paramedics feel underprepared when managing patients who are experiencing mental distress. Mental Health Care in Paramedic Practice is the first guide written specifically for paramedics to support them in understanding a range of different mental health conditions which they may come across during their practice. Not only does the book provide key information on recognising and managing a range of conditions, but it also includes case studies written by paramedics with first-hand experience of managing mental health calls. It also includes a section on legislative changes and policy descriptions as well as interprofessional working. This book is essential for anyone wanting to better understand how to care for patients with mental health concerns within the prehospital setting, including both experienced and aspiring paramedics.

Healthcare systems worldwide are swamped with demand, short of resources, and ill-equipped to respond to global health crises like COVID-19. This book is a guide for reforming healthcare delivery. The way we organize care matters, and the people best positioned to drive this are the clinicians who deliver care. The book offers a framework for transforming healthcare delivery that covers operational design, change management, long-term learning, and organizational environment. It describes the work of leading local operational change; identifies key decisions to be made, actions to be taken, and factors that must be taken into account; and gives clinicians the tools and perspectives they need to lead change. The challenge of modern healthcare is to develop better organizations capable of delivering compassionate and individualized care on a grand scale while preserving the personal relationship between clinician and patient and the quality of care at the ward, operating room, clinic, or practice. Informed by extensive research and experience with systems all over the world, Richard Bohmer shows how organizations may transform by deploying a new workforce of clinical change leaders and how clinicians can take greater control over their own working environments.

The Welfare and Retirement Fund of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) is widely acknowledged as the most innovative effort at group health care in the United States in the twentieth century. Ivana Krajcinovic describes the establishment, operation, and demise of the Fund that brought mining families from the backwater to the forefront of medical care in less than a decade. Krajcinovic analyzes the success of the Fund over nearly three decades in providing high-quality cost-effective care to miners and their families. She also explains the irony of its dismantlement at the very moment when its innovations gained currency among mainstream commercial plans.