Health Services Information (Hansard, 25 January 1988)

§ Mr. Favell
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the progress being made in implementing the recommendations of the Korner steering group's reports on health services information.

§ Mr. Newton
The first phase in implementing the recommendations of the Korner steering group on health services information has proceeded satisfactorily. All district health authorities are collecting the required data. However, difficulties in interfacing computer systems meant that several districts were unable to provide some of the first quarter's returns to the Department: some of these difficulties are affecting the second quarter. A report on the first phase was published in the November issue of the British Journal of Healthcare Computing volume 4, pages 39 to 41 a copy of which is in the Library. The second phase relating to community and paramedical services is not due for implementation until 1 April 1988.

§ Mr. Favell
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will make a statement on progress being made with his Department's computer-based package to provide information as to the relative performance of(a) hospitals and (b) district health authorities;
(2) what information his Department's computer-based performance indicator package discloses concerning (a)
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family planning clinics within the last period for which figures are available; and what representations he has received about further proposed closures of these clinics.

§ Mr. Newton
Information is not centrally available in the form requested. National figures for the number of health authority family planning outlets and sessions provided in the last five years for which figures are available are set out in the table. There have been a number of representations about health authority proposals for reductions in clinic services, including correspondence from the Family Planning Association. There have been no referrals to Ministers, under the defined consultation procedures where consumer views are represented, of proposals for substantial changes where agreement cannot be reached locally.
the number of out-patient attendances at acute hospitals per annum and (b) the average cost per attendance; and if he will publish those details in respect of each acute hospital dealing with more than 100,000 out-patient attendances per annum;
(3) what information his Department's computer-based performance indicator package discloses concerning (a) the number of in-patient cases treated in acute hospitals per annum and (b) the average cost per in-patient case; and if he will publish those details in respect of each acute hospital dealing with more than 20,000 cases per annum;
(4) if he intends to introduce information as to diagnosis-related groups into his Department's computer-based performance indicator package.

§ Mr. Newton
A new set of the performance indicators for the hospital and community health services based on data for 1986–87 will be issued in February 1988. As in previous years this will be sent to every authority in England and a copy will be placed in the Library.
An improved, expanded set of indicators is currently being developed to make Use of the new data collected from 1 April 1987 following the implementation of the recommendations of the steering committee on health service information (the "Körner committee"). Publication of the new health service indicators, based on data for 1987–88, is planned for January 1989.
The current indicators do not include information about attendances and costs of consultant out-patient clinics at acute hospitals. It is planned to include such information in the revised package of indicators. The current indicators do not provide information about the number of in-patients treated in acute hospitals; nor do they identify hospitals by the number of patients in them. Cost per case indicators are provided by district and major acute hospital but do not distinguish between hospitals by the number of cases treated.
Work is in hand in the context of resource management in the NHS to establish the potential of diagnostic related 99W groups (DRG's). Until the value of DRGs is demonstrated there are no plans to make use of them in performance indicators.