Vol. 520 No. 3
90 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Health and Children the plans, if any, he has to carry out research on the delivery of health services in Ireland on the lines of the British study quality and performance in the national health service high level performance indicators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15733/00]
Work is ongoing to develop a set of performance indicators appropriate to the Irish health care system. This work is being carried out in the context of the service plans framework. A preliminary set of priority performance indicators has been developed by my Department in conjunction with the health boards. Health boards have been asked to report on these in their service plans for 2001. Meanwhile work is continuing in my Department and among health board chief executive officers to further refine a set of performance indicators which will be feasible, appropriate, timely and fair. To support this project the Department has commissioned the Institute of public administration to carry out research on the development of a performance measurement framework for the health services.
Since 1995, my Department has produced and disseminated a public health information system, PHIS. This system is part of a continuing programme at national level in close collaboration with the public health departments of the health boards to provide a minimum common data set of reliable baseline data for the assessment of health at national, health board and county levels. Many high level indicators of performance in areas such as mortality, births, hospitalisation and cancer incidence are contained in the PHIS, and the system is used widely at national and health board levels to report on health status and to inform service planning. The PHIS is subject to continuous review and development, and the fourth annual version of the system is due for release on CD-ROM within the coming month.
My Department has also recently established a national health information strategy committee. The remit of this group will be to develop a strategic approach toward the achievement of a co-ordinated and integrated national health information system. This will include consideration of requirements for the further development and use of performance indicators and outcome measures as part of an integrated system for monitoring and evaluating health and the effectiveness of health services.
