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Data Quality programme

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The challenge

The Data Quality (DQ) programme started in the summer of 2021 and NECS was commissioned to support acute providers to improve the accuracy of their waiting list data.  

The programme specifically wanted to: 

  • Ensure system capacity was utilised only for patients who needed to be seen 
  • Reduce unnecessary work by freeing up capacity where it was most needed 
  • Reduce time spent contacting patients who were incorrectly on a waiting list. 

MBI Healthcare was awarded the contract for the provision of LUNA to support providers in identifying data quality issues using the waiting list minimum data set feed. This would allow a performance figure against an agreed set criteria.  

Our response

The Elective Care team delivered the following tasks: 

  • Led monthly forums with all providers to share good practice and support operational issues 
  • Held individual meetings with each provider to discuss starting position and a working improvement plan 
  • Shared data weekly initially specifically around the regional and national position of each local Trust 
  • Worked closely with our NHSE regional and system leads to ensure our strategies were aligned to support each provider 
  • Provided a detailed individual monthly report to each provider lead ensuring continued support 
  • Celebrated improvements with the providers, system leads and within the NHSE regional elective meeting. 
      Stock photo of man at laptop with overlaid graphics hovering above screen

      Outcomes

      Although there has been an increase in over 200k pathways added to the waiting lists since last September 2021, the Elective Care team has successfully reduced the number of potential data quality pathway issues by 97,814. This is a significant reduction and improved compliance from 22.42 per cent to 8.08 per cent.  

      The work also improved the overall provider confidence level from 95.9 per cent to 98.8 per cent. The overall variation has become much more consistent, which has installed more confidence in the data quality of providers waiting lists.