HealthStat - what exactly does it measure?

HealthStat uses a range of measures to come up with an overall picture of how services are being delivered. HealthStat's measures are grouped into three areas - Access, Integration and Resources.

• Access measures the waiting times that people experience for different services. Are patients able to access consultant led out-patient clinics, diagnostic services, treatments, procedures, therapy services, care group services and emergency services within acceptable timescales?
• Integration checks that the services received are patient-centred? Are people receiving outpatient or day care when they should be? Where it is suitable, are people being admitted on the day of their procedure? Is the length of stay for inpatients as should be expected? Are patients and their families informed about their treatment and included in discharge planning?  Are access to diagnostic and primary care services appropriate.
• Resources assesses whether a hospital or Local Health Office (LHO) is making best use of its human and financial resources. Is a hospital or LHO serving acceptable numbers of patients? Are the budget spend and staff numbers as planned? What is the absenteeism rate?

The HealthStat system is not designed to measure clinical outcomes of standards of care – this is the focus of the HSE's new Clinical Care and Quality Directorate and of the Health Information and Quality Authority.

The table below gives some examples of measures within the three groups and at the following link, you can read a complete list of all of HealthStat's measures, and the relevant targets.

Links to:

Hospital Metrics and Targets

LHO Metrics and Targets