Outcomes, Audits and Registries

Just as 2024 saw progress towards greater openness and transparency around patient safety, so we see a similar picture of the sector engaging in a range of key initiatives to better understand the quality of care provided. 

Work towards NHS England’s Outcomes and Registries Programme has been a dominant feature of the landscape in 2024 and is likely to be a major focus of activity in years to come. PHIN has also made considerable progress over the past year towards fulfilling its mandate, and we see greater participation in audits by the sector. 

IHPN is fully supportive of these developments, and we note the importance of overcoming those barriers that still exist which frustrate greater participation. We highlight several areas that need more attention in 2025 including: 

• Engagement with information governance issues to ensure that independent providers have a straightforward and clear legal basis for submitting data to audits – the different legal bases of audits mean that there are often subtle but important differences in the rules that govern independent providers’ submissions. Too often, this makes submission far more complex than necessary and has delayed the development of new initiatives that are important for patient safety and outcomes. We look to work with the Government, NHS England, regulators, data collectors and providers to address these issues. 

• Incorporation of the sector by design. While most organisations recognise the importance of involving independent providers, it is still the case that the independent sector is too often overlooked at the design stage of new audits. In turn, rules around submission can be developed which end up accidentally excluding providers either from submitting data or from gaining insights from data that flows into audits. 
  
  
• Visibility of information back to providers. When new systems are being developed it is understandable that sponsoring organisations focus on submission routes as they are essential for the new approach to work. However, it is also important for independent providers to have the same visibility of analysis about data they submit as NHS organisations. Access to the same insights is crucial for independent providers to identify areas for improvement, benchmark their performance against all relevant providers, and make informed decisions to enhance the quality and efficiency of their services, ultimately benefiting patients.