Performance Management
In a climate of performance management, health bodies find themselves under pressure to produce robust evidence of their performance. Quality and regulatory standards, commissioning processes and the demands of more informed patients mean that demonstrating performance improvements is crucial. Research can play a vital role, particularly in facilitating best use of the data collected.
There are a range of possible areas for evaluation of performance, with an accompanying range of methodologies likely to be suitable. For example:
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A quantitative survey of patients using benchmarking questions can measure how you’re performing against national priorities
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Tracking surveys will let you assess performance over time on your local priorities
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In addition to individual
patient experience feedback, you will also need to be aware of wider
public satisfaction with the services provided locally. Qualitative and quantitative research will help you explore the needs of the local population – what do they see as
priorities for improvement? How do they think their local NHS is performing against world class commissioning indicators?
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These headline statistics can be followed-up with more in-depth research into how specific aspects of services or communications could be improved for different groups, or why a particular service is performing so well and what best practice can be learned
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Providers and commissioners will also want data demonstrating the quality and effectiveness of any services commissioned. This may include measuring patient reported outcomes which are discussed further
here.
Healthcare organisations have been gathering large amounts of data for years. However, the tendency can be to collect the information, provide it to those requiring it, record the areas that need improvement and then continue as before. Thoughtful research and innovative approaches to analysis and reporting will help you make the most of the data and translate it into actions. The specific challenges of your organisation and the various audiences for the data will dictate what form this takes – and can include traditional reporting or more innovative dashboards or online portals.