§ Dr. WrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will list the preliminary set of outcome indicators produced by the population health outcome indicators feasibility study; and if she will make a statement;
(2) if she will publish the criteria used by the Faculty of Public Health in confirming the suitability of outcome indicators for the health service indicators set;
(3) if she will list the outcome indicators recommended by the Chief Medical Officer's working party on outcome indicators; and if she will also list which of those indicators were confirmed by the Faculty of Public Health to be included in the latest set of health service indicators;
(4) what outcome indicators will be included in the 1992–93 health service indicator set;
(5) if she will make a statement on the population health outcome indicators for the national health service feasibility study.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe Chief Medical Officer's working party on population health outcome indicators did not recommend specific outcome indicators. It identified a number of potential indicators which could be produced using data currently available. The Department of Health subsequently commissioned the Faculty of Public Health Medicine to undertake a feasibility study of suggested indicators against a set of criteria. The faculty made some recommendations as part of the first phase of this study, following which the Department of Health commissioned analysis of those indicators recommended. This resulted in the production of the two documents 'Population Health Outcome Indicators for the NHS—A Consultation Document' and 'Population Health Outcome Indicators for the NHS—A Feasibility Study' copies of which are available in the Library. These documents list the population health outcome indicators suggested by the study.
The criteria adopted in determining the suitability of particular indicators were set out in some detail in the documents but one overriding criterion was that the indicators should be based on routinely collected data.
Following a positive consultation, which showed that this initiative was favourably received, the central health outcomes unit of the Department will shortly be commissioning work within the health service to test the practicality and effectiveness of the indicators suggested in a working environment. Updated indicators will, in future, be included within the "Public Health Common Data Set" which is distributed to the NHS annually. The information will not, necessarily, be duplicated within the health service indicators.
Work is also starting on a further phase of development of population health outcomes measures. This will build on the work which has taken place and specifically will look to the future information needs of the health service and the data which will require to be collected to assess health outcomes.
§ Dr. WrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library, indicator numerators, denominators and values and rankings, as mentioned on page 24 of the 1991–92 health service indicators discussion paper.
§ Mr.SackvilleArrangements are being made for the numerators and denominator values used in the health598W service indicators to be placed in the Library when available. These should be used with care since the timetable for the publication often requires the use of provisional and unvalidated data which may be corrected in published values of statistics.
§ Dr. WrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Health of what the purchaser mortality ML61, as used in the health service indicators set, consists.
§ Mr. SackvilleAn explanation of the purchaser mortality ML61, as used in the health service indicators set, is contained in the health service handbook, copies of which are available in the Library.