§ Mr. WheelerTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the CIPFA TARI index in measuring the comparative efficiency of district health authorities; and how he plans to ensure that performance indicators are used more reliably by health authorities.
§ Mrs. CurrieThe total acute revenue indicator, quoted in the CIPFA report on health trends, shows approximately how much money is spent per head on providing acute care for a district's resident population wherever the residents are treated. It is an indicator of the extent to which people in different parts of the country have access to acute hospital care and on this basis is included in the performance indicator package. It is not an indicator of efficiency nor is there any one indicator of efficiency.
This package has been sent direct to every health authority annually for the last three years and the latest indicators will be issued this month. District health authorities are expected to identify areas where improvements in services to patients and in overall efficiency might be possible as a matter of good management. The indicators are developed for use with other information as an aid to this process. Regional health authorities will be expected to examine differences in performance between their districts as suggested by the indicators and other information.