Select Committee on Health Written Evidence


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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Prepared 25 July 2006