Variables and sources
| Category | Variable | Source | Unit and method of measurement |
| Outcome variable | Patient experience. | The National Inpatient Survey. | Composite score. |
| Pathway | Patients waiting over 6 weeks for a diagnostic test. | CQC intelligence monitoring. | No of patients waiting over 6 weeks/total no of patients waiting. |
| Pathway | Mean length of stay of survey respondents. | The National Inpatient Survey. | Average nights spent in hospital of survey respondents. |
| Pathway | The no of patients not treated within 28 days of last minute cancellation due to non-clinical reason. | CQC intelligence monitoring. | No of patients not treated within 28 days/total no of patients cancelled for non-clinical reasons in 2-month time period. |
| Pathway | Total emergency admissions. | CQC intelligence monitoring. | Total no of patients admitted via any emergency route in a month. |
| Pathway | Proportion of survey respondents who received urgent/unplanned care. | The National Inpatient Survey. | Proportion of 2015 National Inpatient Survey responders. |
| Pathway | No of patients spending over 4 hours from decision to admit to admission. | CQC intelligence monitoring. | No of patients spending over 4 hours in accident and emergency (A&E) department from arrival to discharge or transfer to admission as a proportion of the total number attending the A&E per 3 months. |
| Organisational | The proportion of staff who would recommend the organisation as a place to work or receive treatment. | National Staff Survey (NSS). | Proportion of respondents to the 2015 NSS return. |
| Organisational | Proportion of patients who received all the secondary prevention medications for which they were eligible. | CQC intelligence monitoring. | No of/patients eligible for secondary prevention medication per year. |
| Organisational | Support to clinical staff. | Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) Workforce Statistics. | The no of nursing assistants, nursing auxiliaries, nursery nurses, healthcare assistants, porters, medical secretaries, trainees, general support workers, clerical and administrative staff and maintenance and works staff specifically identified as supporting clinical staff, and scientific, therapeutic and technical staff, trainee ambulance personnel as well as clerical and administrative staff and maintenance and works staff specifically identified as supporting clinical staff.32 |
| Organisational | Total no of staff employed (whole time equivalent (WTE)). | HSCIC workforce statistics. | The total authorised establishment of WTE staff, inclusive of clinical and non-clinical staff, employed by the National Health Service (NHS) Trust, either directly or through contracts or service-level agreements with another organisation, that enabled the NHS Trust to carry out all its duties during the reporting year. Excludes very short-term temporary contract staff employed to undertake building and upgrading work. Includes all management, supervisors, trade staff, administrative support staff, EBME staff and staff associated with residential units.31 |
| Organisational | Total soft FM (hotel services) costs. | HSCIC Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC). | Total annual revenue cost of the soft FM (hotel services) services. Include all materials and equipment necessary to provide the soft FM services together with costs associated with relevant directors’ time, management, supervisors, trade staff and administrative support employed by the trust and through contract or service-level agreement with another organisation (full list available45). |
| Organisational | No of sites—general acute hospital. | HSCIC workforce statistics. | No of sites that provide a range of inpatient medical care and other related services for surgery, acute medical conditions or injuries (usually for a short-term illness or condition).45 |
| Organisational | Mortality rates for conditions normally associated with a very low rate of mortality. | CQC Intelligence Monitoring (provided by Foster). | Rate of deaths per year (full list of conditions included available30). |
| Organisational | Total capital investment. | HSCIC ERIC. | The sum of capital investment for new building, improving existing buildings and equipment.45 |
| Organisational | Percentage of estates and hotel services contracted out. | HSCIC ERIC. | The percentage of hard FM (estates) and soft FM (hotel services) that are contracted out. Inclusive of equipment maintenance, EBME work, PPM work, repairs, management and manpower resources that have been contracted out to non-NHS organisations including PFI and NHS Property Services.45 |
| Patient demographics | Proportion of survey respondents who were 66+ years old. | The National Inpatient Survey. | Proportion of 2015 National Inpatient Survey responders. |
| Patient demographics | Proportion of survey respondents who were female. | The National Inpatient Survey. | Proportion of 2015 National Inpatient Survey responders. |
| Patient demographics | Index of Multiple Deprivation Rank. | English Indices of Deprivation. | The Index of Multiple Deprivation ranks every small area (lower-layer super output areas, based on the 2011 Census) in England from 1 (most deprived area) to 32 844 (least deprived area). This variable includes the rank for the small area in which the hospital is located.46 |
EBME, electro-biomedical engineering; FM, facilities management; PF, private finance initiative; PPM, people performance and management.