APPENDIX 1
ABOUT DR FOSTER INTELLIGENCE
Dr Foster Intelligence is an information and
research company, jointly owned by the NHS and the private sector.
We aim to promote service and system improvement by providing
information to a number of audiences, including:
Clinicians, to support professional
standards and the best treatment and care.
Managers, to support effective and
efficient management and continuous performance improvement.
Patients, to help them choose the
treatment and who will provide it.
The public, to inform health and
lifestyle choices.
Policy makers and regulators, to
inform effective policy development and implementation.
We work with the Dr Foster Unit at Imperial
College London in the analysis of data and the development of
indicators of clinical quality and efficiency. The Unit has approved
access to Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) via NHS Wide Clearing
Service (NWCS) submissions. This is the routine administrative
data submitted by NHS organisations. We also have access to a
number of other datasets such as consumer survey data, prescribing
data and demographic data. We work clearly within the parameters
of the terms of access to these datasets, for example, removing
all patient identifiable information.
Dr Foster Intelligence uses these datasets to
create a range of benchmarking, monitoring and data analysis tools
for use by NHS organisations, as well as undertaking bespoke analyses
and research on behalf of policy-makers, arm's length bodies and
NHS organisation.
Examples of the analyses we undertake and indicators
developed by the unit include:
In-Hospital Mortality rates for diagnosis
and procedures, updated monthly through NWCS. Outcomes are currently
available for a variety of clinical diagnoses and procedures.
More detailed analysis using risk adjusted CUSUMs combined with
monthly updates allow the prospective monitoring of outcomes at
trust and consultant team level.
Waiting times, volumes, length of
stay, readmission rates and day case rates for procedures, updated
monthly. For day cases we focus on the Audit Commission's basket
of 25 most common procedures.
Rates of surgery and waiting lists
by age or social deprivation group by different areas (eg PCT
or constituency) to investigate health inequalities.
Emergency admission rates by PCT
(and GP practice) for conditions eg asthma, fractured neck of
femur, standardised for the population of the PCT.
Dr Foster Intelligence has extensive understanding
of the issues around use of data for comparison and has developed
a number of different approaches many of which have been used
in our benchmarking systems and in our publication of comparative
data.
Our management information tools are used by
the majority of NHS acute trusts and a growing number of primary
care trusts and strategic health authorities.
Our other key activities include policy research
and consultancy and social marketing services, such as targeting
public health messages towards particular audiences.
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