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Acute Respiratory Infection Hub process evaluation: Evaluation report

RAND | 2026-10-21 | health

Topics: Europe, Trade

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English Summary

The evaluation of Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) Hubs found that their implementation and service delivery are highly variable across England, lacking standardized national structure. A primary driver of this instability is the absence of centralized, sustained funding, forcing local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to fund services ad-hoc. While the model was intended to build resilient, community-based care and reduce pressure on Emergency Departments, its current operation is dependent on local budgets and existing provider relationships rather than formal, stable policy. Policymakers must therefore transition from temporary, crisis-response funding to standardized, permanent funding mechanisms to ensure equitable and sustainable healthcare resilience.

中文摘要

對急性呼吸道感染(ARI)中心(Hubs)的評估發現,其在英格蘭各地的實施和服務提供具有高度的差異性,缺乏標準化的國家結構。造成這種不穩定性的主要驅動因素是缺乏中央集權、持續的資金支持,迫使地方整合式照護委員會(ICBs)不得不臨時撥款資助服務。儘管該模式旨在建立有韌性、社區化的照護體系並減輕急診部門的壓力,但其現行運作卻依賴於地方預算和現有的服務提供者關係,而非正式、穩定的政策。因此,政策制定者必須從臨時的危機應對資金,轉向標準化、永久的資金機制,以確保醫療照護的公平性和可持續的韌性。

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