NEQOS collates nationally published data on quality and safety in mental health trusts and produces a surveillance report utilising a wide range of selected indicators – highlighting areas of success as well as those which may require improvement. The tool is intended to support assurance for providers and commissioners of mental health services and to highlight areas of possible concern as well as positive outliers.
The quality surveillance tool brings together data from across a range of published sources including: IMR (CQC), Outcome indicators (HSCIC) and from the Mental Health System Profiles (PH England). On the first page of the tool, a summary of the risks identified in the CQC IMR are summarised in graphical form, along with summaries of both positive and negative outliers from the other indicators identified by NEQOS for inclusion in the tool. This is followed by the individual indicators by trust over the subsequent pages, grouped under the CQC domains of quality (safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Some additional contextual indicators are also provided. As an example from the tool, the chart below summarises the risks, as included in the CQC IMR published in June 2015, for a sample of mental health Trusts.
The NEQOS mental health quality surveillance tool currently includes northern mental health Trusts with a small selection of comparator Trusts from elsewhere in England (predominantly large Trusts). However the tool could be easily produced at a national level or in a similar format for other regions.
The Quality Surveillance tool highlights specific areas for further investigation that might require improvement by the Trust, as well as areas of potentially best practice (and therefore the opportunity to identify other high performing Trusts to share learning). Any specific issues raised by the tool can be explored further by undertaking bespoke analysis, a service which NEQOS offers to all subscribers.
To find out how NEQOS’ expertise can support your organisation in achieving better knowledge, better care and better outcomes, please leave your contact details here.