The Outcomes and Registries Programme

NHS England’s Outcomes and Registries Programme has a broad ranging remit to develop a single, unified registry solution – the Outcome Registries Platform.  

Over the past year, we have seen a clarification in scope as the emphasis of the programme has moved towards consolidation of registries and addressing data gaps. Once fully operational, through initiatives such as the Medical Device Outcome Registry (MDOR), it will play a key role in fulfilling the recommendations of the Independent Medicine and Medical Device Safety Review (IMMDS) and the Paterson Inquiry. 

IHPN and our members are strongly supportive of this programme. The next steps for successful implementation are to address outstanding information governance issues that relate to independent providers and for data to flow, while retaining a clear focus on how this information, once processed, will be made available back to providers so that they can take steps to improve patient care. 

We anticipate that as this data flows from the sector, there will be more opportunities for meaningful engagement with other initiatives.  

For example, valuable work has already been carried with NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme GIRFT and orthopaedic independent providers in 2021 as part of a pilot study. The National Consultant Information Programme (NCIP) which allows view of consultants’ scope of NHS practice has also made progress during 2024 and will help support the move to a more rounded view of scope of practice. As more patient-level data becomes available across all providers, the scope for greater insights across a range of specialties will develop. 

Case study

Spire Healthcare’s QI programme is working to improve outcomes for patients and colleague expertise. In total, the programme has run 200+ QI projects and trained 13,000+ colleagues. Projects in 2022-24 included reducing hyponatraemia incidences, reducing average length of stay for orthopaedics, and reducing VTE risks and incidences – all strengthening patient safety. Their QI work on hyponatraemia has been taken up by NCEPOD and Spire Healthcare has accepted an invitation to spread the learning to the NHS. The QI programme is linked to PSIRF outcomes to seek continuous improvement.