Wes Streeting is promising a “no-holds-barred, sweeping review” of NHS performance in England, the BBC reports, with incentives for good managerial performance and sanctions for poor performance.

The details have not yet been worked out, but clearly managers will have to demonstrate either that their performance is good, or that it is as good as possible given circumstances beyond their control. Either way, they will need data that reveals root causes and not just surface performance.

This may be tricky, given that the NHS’s usual performance metrics have been honed over the years in response to the direct reporting demands of the ‘centre’.

But it is not insoluble, because the tools already exist for bringing together all the required data, accurately and consistently, to create a unified view of performance. It is so standardised that advanced performance analytics and patient pathway management can continue to run unaffected, even if the underlying source IT systems change.

Best of all, this can be implemented without major upheaval, and without breaking the bank. Insource have been doing it for decades.

So if you would like to future-proof your performance management, drop us a line. We’ll be happy to work through your roadmap to clear and consistent performance reporting that demonstrates your grip on the root causes.