NICE has published the first menu of 44 new proposed indicators recommended by the Commissioning Outcomes Framework (COF) Advisory Committee.
Covering domains including preventing people from dying prematurely and enhancing quality of life for people with long-term conditions, this menu of indicators will now be considered by the NHS Commissioning Board for potential inclusion in the 2013/14 COF. From April 2013, the COF will hold Clinical Commissioning Groups to account for improvement in quality of healthcare and patient outcomes through better commissioning. Areas covered by the menu of indicators include aspects of care given immediately after a stroke and also following hospital discharge after treatment for stroke; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; maternal care; and access to mental health services. Examples of some specific proposed indicators are:
• Emergency re-admissions within 30 days of discharge from hospital.
• People who have had an acute stroke who receive thrombolysis.
The indicators are identified and developed from three sources: the NHS Outcomes Framework, NICE quality standards, and from other existing indicator collections, for example, national audits. Further COF indicators will be developed from NICE quality standards, meaning additional topics covered will reflect those within the library of quality standards.
