HC Deb 21 July 1994 vol 247 c598W
Dr. Wright

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will list all information sources, including databases, detailing clinical effectiveness indicators which are(a) maintained and (b) used by the Department of Health, its public bodies and other advisory bodies; and if she will also list the forms in which those databases are maintained;

(2) which clinical effectiveness indicator datasets refer (a) to individual episodes and (b) to individual patients;

(3) what clinical effectiveness indicators are collated at the level of (a) district health authorities and (b) individual units.

Mr. Sackville

The assessment of clinical effectiveness is complex and does not readily lend itself to the production of indicators. However, there are a number of national confidential inquiries based on systems reporting individual episodes and individual patients whose anonymised reports assist clinicians to improve clinical effectiveness.

The main confidential enquiries are: National Confidential Enquiry into Peri-Operative Deaths Confidential Enquiry into Stillbirths and Deaths in Infancy Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths National Confidential Enquiry into Quality of Genetic Counselling

In addition, the national network of cancer registries which are computerised, provide a database of cancer cases and the outcome of those cases.

Dr. Wright

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines there are to ensure that collated clinical effectiveness data are seen by surgeons in each individual hospital.

Mr. Sackville

It is a professional responsibility of all doctors, including surgeons, to keep in touch with relevant professional developments. This includes information about clinical effectiveness.

Dr. Wright

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the changes which have been made in the collation of clinical effectiveness indicators as a result of the 1991–92 health service indicators discussion paper.

Mr. Sackville

As a result of the 1991–92 health service indicator discussion paper the indicator set was increased to include the "Population Health Outcome Indicators for the NHS". Copies of the revised indicators are available in the Library.