What to Do If Your Department Is an Outlier
Part of the remit of NEIAA is to report on Trusts/Heath Boards where performance against quality statement 2 is below the national average. We are not advocating a finger pointing approach but seek to highlight departments where care quality could be improved, and to facilitate this improvement. This document lays out initial steps to take if your Trust/Health Board has been identified as an outlier.
1. Don’t panic!
There has been a broad variation in QS2 attainment, with many Trusts/Health Boards identified as outliers. You are not alone in this, and the BSR is here to help.
2. Check your data
The outlier letter received from BSR invites you to check your local data to see if there might be any inaccuracies that could explain the results. If you’re not sure how to download your local data, please contact the team.
You will have 15 working days from receiving an outlier letter to check your data and get back to us with any inaccuracies. If you don’t think there are any inaccuracies, we still need you to confirm you have been notified.
3. Get in contact if you have any queries regarding the methodology
Outlier identification is adjusted for comorbidity, age, gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic position, using an HQIP approved approach. If you have any questions on the methods we have used, don’t hesitate to get in contact.
4. Review EIA service structures and staffing levels
We know that many services are under considerable strain, and often outlier Trusts are under-staffed. Other Trusts have used their NEIAA data to put in successful business cases for extra clinical staff.
5. Seek input from your BSR local champion
Your local champion should already be aware that you are an outlier. They are there to offer support in checking data inaccuracies and can also help you liaise with local departments that have performed well. This may allow you to identify approaches to improve your QS2 performance.
