12.02.13
Catching the outliers
The number of hospitals being investigated for their high death rates has risen to 14, as NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh has published a list of outliers on hospital mortality data.
He has stated that the investigation is to ensure the hospitals understand why they have such high mortality rates and are adequately supported to tackle this.
There are of course many factors which can influence mortality rates, and this does not necessarily mean the hospitals identified have major problems with the way they work.
Still, it is both worrying and reassuring that so many have been highlighted. Concerning because it suggests potentially dangerous practice and reassuring that the NHS Commissioning Board is taking specific action to improve performance.
For the NHS to truly understand how it can improve, it must look very closely at all the available data, both good and bad.
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