Effective practice in the NHS and the contribution from public health: a qualitative study

Abstract

Reports on a study which explored the views of key stakeholders regarding the meaning and implementation of effective health care and clinical governance in NHS Trusts, and the role for public health professionals. The authors used a national questionnaire survey to derive a sample for qualitative telephone interviews and two area case studies. The authors found that the meaning of effective health care and the means employed for implementation varied. Mergers were seen as hindrances to gaining organisational engagement whilst others, such as the White Paper on quality and the notion of clinical governance, were seen as facilitating. A widespread aspiration was a more integrated and corporate quality culture where quality was central, not marginal. The authors conclude that there is widespread concern among Trusts to change their culture and assert effective health care as a central value. Public health skills, rather than the discipline itself, are seen as important for such culture change.

Citation

Melvin, K., Wright, J., Harrison, S.R., Robinson, M., Connelly, J. and Rhys Williams, D.R. (1999), "Effective practice in the NHS and the contribution from public health: a qualitative study", British Journal of Clinical Governance, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 88-98. https://doi.org/10.1108/14664109910309638