A new measure published for the first time by the NHS Information Centre highlights the extent to which mortality rates vary from Trust to Trust.
The summary hospital-level mortality indicator compares the actual number of patients who die following treatment at a Trust with the number who would be expected to die, given the characteristics of the patients treated there. It differs from other mortality indicators because it considers all deaths that take place in a Trust, as well as those taking place within 30 days of discharge. As a result, it offers a more comprehensive picture of deaths following hospital care. Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator (SHMI), England 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 (Experimental statistics) shows mortality rates – or SHMI values – for every acute nonspecialist Trust in England. The report categorises rates as: ‘as expected’, ‘higher than expected’ and ‘lower than expected’, and will be published quarterly. NHS Information Centre chief executive, Tim Straughan, said: “The SHMI should be used locally by individual hospital Trusts to assess and investigate their mortality-related outcomes. Though a powerful measure, it should not be taken in isolation as a headline figure of Trust performance.”
