New NHS hospital mortality calculation method unveiled

The Department of Health has provided details of its new method of calculating and using hospital mortality ratios, which is designed to provide greater clarity when assessing care quality.

Following a recent review, the government is introducing the Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator (SHMI) method, which will compare the number of deaths occurring in hospitals to an estimate of how many might have been expected, based on national data and patient characteristics.

This indicator will be used as a means of understanding trends associated with hospital deaths and as a trigger for investigations of potential problems, though it will be only one of a number of factors to be assessed.

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, who commissioned the review on behalf of the NHS National Quality Board, said the new SHMI method will help to engage healthcare professionals, academics and the commercial sector.

He added: "The methodology will be open to public and academic scrutiny and debate so that it improves and becomes more useful over time."

This is one of a number of reforms which will affect the NHS over the coming years, as it looks to make efficiency savings in line with the recent Spending Review plans.