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Acute and specialist trust overview

Key targets

The key targets are available via the indicator links on the left hand side of this page. They include details of why the indicator is included, the data source, the period of time assessed by the indicator and the technical specification (construction). These were announced in March 2004 before the start of the 2004/2005 financial year.

The key targets are:

12 hour waits for emergency admission via A&E post decision to admit
All cancers: two week wait
Elective patients waiting longer than the standard
Financial management
Hospital cleanliness
Outpatient and elective (inpatient and daycase) booking
Outpatients waiting longer than the standard
Total time in A&E: four hours or less

Balanced scorecard indicators

These indicators have been chosen to provide a balance across a broad range of areas.

The balanced scorecard indicators are available via the indicator links on the left hand side of this page. They include details of the rationale, the data source, the data period and the technical specification (construction) for all of the indicators.

The balanced scorecard indicators are:

Capacity and capability

Data quality on ethnic group
Information governance
Staff opinion survey: health, safety and incidents
Staff opinion survey: human resource management
Staff opinion survey: staff attitudes
Workforce indicator

Clinical focus

Child protection
Clinical risk management
Composite of participation in audits
Deaths following a heart bypass operation
Deaths following selected non-elective surgical procedures
Emergency readmission following discharge (adults)
Emergency readmission following discharge for a fractured hip
Indicator on stroke care
MRSA
Thrombolysis - composite of 60 minute call to needle time and 30 minute door to needle time

Patient focus

A&E emergency admission waits (four hours)
Better hospital food
Breast cancer: one month diagnosis to treatment
Breast cancer: two month GP urgent referral to treatment
Cancelled operations
Delayed transfers of care
Outpatient and A&E patient surveys: access and waiting
Outpatient and A&E patient surveys: better information, more choice
Outpatient and A&E patient surveys: building closer relationships
Outpatient and A&E patient surveys: clean, comfortable, friendly place to be
Outpatient and A&E patient surveys: safe, high quality, coordinated care
Patient complaints
Patients waiting longer than standard for revascularisation
Six month inpatient waits
Thirteen week outpatient waits
Waiting times for rapid access chest pain clinic

Clinical governance review (CGR) scores and 2005 performance ratings

In February 2005, the Healthcare Commission made the decision to exclude the results of all clinical governance reviews (or the follow up of action plans where more appropriate) from the performance ratings for all organisations in 2004/2005. This decision reflects feedback received from strategic health authorities and trusts. The Healthcare Commission continues to support the importance of clinical governance and this is reflected in the core standards assessment that will form part of the Healthcare Commission's annual health check in 2006 and beyond.

Indicators that are not applicable to all trusts

Some key targets and balanced scorecard indicators may only be appropriate for some individual specialist trusts. For instance, accident and emergency (A&E) waits do not apply to hospitals without A&E services. A trust rating will be allocated on the basis of those key targets and indicators that are appropriate to the trust concerned.

Specialist trusts

The key targets and balanced scorecard indicators are the same for specialist trusts as those for acute trusts.

Combined trusts

Combined trusts (those that provide services in more than one sector) will be performance rated in all relevant sectors. You will, therefore, need to refer to the indicator lists for each relevant trust type (e.g. acute and mental health and ambulance).