Advice line

The NHS has long been condemned as being ‘data rich but information poor’ and this has applied to allied health professional (AHP) services as well. The Model Hospital digital information service was created by NHS Improvement to help staff spot opportunities to improve productivity opportunities and put changes into effect. People can use a series of metrics to evidence quality outcomes, show a good use of resources and  benchmark themselves against each other.

 

The programme allows physiotherapy and other AHP services to demonstrate their role in achieving good patient experiences and outcomes, and how they contribute to their trust’s overall productivity and efficiency. The challenge is to find consistent and accurate data that describe the quality and productivity of AHP services in a comprehensive way.  

 

AHP service leads are encouraged to register themselves through the portal It is strongly recommended that trusts record and report data accurately, while AHP leads are urged to engage in this process in their own trusts, particularly as the data will be used for a more open and integrated approach to performance management across the NHS. 

 

AHP leads are also encouraged to access tools and best practice guidance being developed by NHS Improvement’s national AHP productivity programme. The first of these is the recently- published AHP job planning guidance, which standardises the framework by which trusts identify the capacity of their AHP workforce.  It is expected that clinical capacity will be reported via the Model Hospital site in due course. 

 

NHS Improvement is keen to hear from AHP services that already measure productivity alongside quality outcomes. We are also seeking case studies that demonstrate improved productivity as a result of a service change or innovation.

 

For more information about the programme, or to help shape the Model Hospital compartment.  Follow the conversation on Twitter at #supportingclinicalproductivity