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Point-Counterpoint
Using health status to measure NHS performance: another step into the dark for the health reform in England
  1. J M Valderas1,2,
  2. R Fitzpatrick3,
  3. M Roland4
  1. 1LSE Health and Social Care, London School of Economics, London, UK
  2. 2Health Services and Policy Research Group, Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
  3. 3Department of Public Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
  4. 4Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr JM Valderas, Health Services and Policy Research Group, Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, 23–38 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford OX1 1ET, UK; jose.valderas{at}phc.ox.ac.uk

Abstract

The National Health Service in England is moving away from targets based on processes of care and focusing on patient outcomes. This vision is operationalised in the recently published NHS Outcomes Framework, which includes the generalised use of Patient Reported Outcomes (health status and quality of life) as measures of population health at the provider level. This is the first time that such a bold initiative is attempted in the UK and it is not without risks. In this article we elaborate on our experience on the use of Patient Reported Outcomes and identify challenges and likely implications of this approach and suggest less disruptive alternatives.

  • Primary care
  • health services research
  • health policy
  • general practice
  • chronic disease management

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2011-000184

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    Footnotes

    • Competing interests None.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

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