Dementia, stroke, cancer, and end-of-life care are among 32 new indicators that have been put forward for inclusion in the new Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set (CCG OIS, formerly known as the Commissioning Outcomes Framework).
The CCG OIS aims to support clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and improve the quality of patient care across England. Dementia is placing an increasing burden on the NHS, with more than 800,000 people currently believed to have it in the UK at a cost of £23 billion to the economy. However, diagnosis remains low. The proposed indicator for dementia includes a measure that people presenting with suspected dementia are referred and seen by memory assessment services within three months. Further indicators aim to reduce premature mortality from cancer through measuring the timeliness of diagnosis, since detecting cancer at an early stage can improve outcomes. The proposed indicators for cancer will measure the number of cancers diagnosed via emergency routes, the stage of cancer at diagnosis and the number of cancers detected at stage 1 or 2. Another proposed indicator aims to ensure people have a positive experience of care at the end of their lives, by measuring the proportion of people who have died in their preferred place of death. A further indicator measures the proportion of people closely affected by a death who report satisfactory experiences of factors such as communication, care around the time of death and bereavement care. The NHS Commissioning Board will be responsible for deciding the final set of indicators towards the end of 2013.
