Like many organisations, Trinity Hospice produces an increasing amount of data for commissioners and regulators, as well as for fundraising. However, little of it was used by those managing or delivering clinical services, as most of it was sent externally or used by senior management to support financial or contractual decisions.

Aims We wanted information to be useful to those delivering clinical services. For information to be about clinical effectiveness and patient experience, as well as activity; for it to be displayed in a clear and intuitive way; for the same information to be utilised throughout the Hospice; and for it to be robust and consistent.

Method We decided to create one central channel for all clinical data based on Excel and accessible to everyone. Clinical teams input information from their own quality initiatives,as well as information obtained from central sources. Highlights are produced on monthly dashboards showing activity (e.g. numbers patients seen), clinical effectiveness (e.g. audits, clinical risk) and patient experience (patient outcomes and satisfaction).

Results Information about clinical care is now directed through one channel and key areas are displayed on monthly dashboards with detailed information in the supporting workbook. The dashboards are used by the Board, as well as each clinical team. They can be modified easily and link with our other information systems. It has also been possible to include benchmarking data. Challenges have included ensuring each team monitors the clinical effectiveness of their service and for the Information Officer to keep pace with demand!

Conclusion The changes in working practice have resulted in reliable and complete information that is consistently available both to support patient care and the financial, contractual and governance aspects of the organisation. The dashboards have enabled clinical teams to better engage in using evidence to improve patient care.