Highlights: Clinical Outcomes Publication (COP) programme

As part of the NHS England's Clinical Outcomes Publication programme (previously, the ‘Consultant Outcomes Publication’), the NJR added a further year’s data to its website (www.njrsurgeonhospitalprofile.org.uk) in November 2016.  This data was also included on the NHS Choices website in January 2017.

There were no new indicators included for the 2016/17 publication and it is unlikely that there will be any new indicators for the 2017/18 publication.

The draft indicators are made available to all NHS England consultants via the NJR Clinician Feedback service prior to publication.  This provides an opportunity for those consultants to review the data and to correct any errors or omissions prior to the final ‘cut’ of data to be used for publication.  Although the COP publication is a requirement for NHS England consultants only, consultants from Wales and Northern Ireland can also opt in to have their individual data published.

The NJR Steering Committee, working with the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA), has agreement from NHS England that it is not appropriate to publish surgeon level revision rates and that, if revision rates are to be published, they will be at a Trust level.  This agreement was reached on the condition that the NJR reviews its current outlier handling processes for both surgeons and units.