Editorial
| Published date | 01 September 1998 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/13619322199700021 |
| Date | 01 September 1998 |
| Pages | 4-4 |
| Author | Bev Frowen,Helen Smith |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
Editorial
Bev Frowen and Helen Smith
A
recent article in the Health Service Journal
heralded the ‘unprecedented rise of perfor-
mance management which is set to explode
within the NHS’. This is a complex and often
controversial aspect of managerial practice within
the public sector. The meteoric rise of performance
management initiatives in the eighties was designed
to define value for money and effectiveness of
purpose for services funded from the public sector
purse. In compiling this issue of the
Review
, we
have been reminded of the many different ways
that performance is measured and quality is defined.
From whose perspective is the process initiated,
which criteria are judged valid and which outcome
is most important, arecrucial and recurring themes.
Wehope that at the heartof all this activity lies the
interest of service users, but there remains an inherent
culture of ‘feeding the beast’ and measuring and
massaging statistics to suit the needs of the day.
HilaryHodge and Carole Jobbins, in a personal
perspective, explore the imperative for well-informed
senior managers to take responsibility for delivering
high-quality services through a process of genuine
collaboration with service users, providers and
professionals. Roy Curtis provides us with a review
of common approaches to quality and the benefits
of tailoring individual methods to meet different
organisational and personal goals. The appropriate-
ness and benefits of different initiatives arediscussed,
including service reviews, organisational audit and
accreditation programmes.
We should not forget the multiplicity of
providers and organisations involved with mental
health services and their commitment to performance
review and quality. From a voluntary sector perspec-
tive, Cath Lindley from NewportMind gives her
reflections on how a small voluntary group, working
in a deprived South Wales urban setting, became
amajor service provider employing over thirty staff,
through a rigorous commitment to quality assurance.
The difficulties of maintaining commitment to quality
during times of organisational anxiety and funding
threats are balanced against the rewards of grasping
the nettle and pursuing a range of performance and
quality initiatives. Daphne Obang describes, from
asocial services perspective, a practical mechanism
for the regular review of policies and procedures
in newly-formed community mental health teams.
Di Barnes discusses a national perspective on
monitoring MISG.
In their regular slot, Chris Curran and
Catherine Grimshaw,joined this time by Gordon
Lakes, describe the work of the Mental Health Act
Commission. This featurewill enable readers to
ensurethat local services (purchasers and providers)
are getting the most from the Commission, in its
role of safeguarding service quality in relation to
detained patients. The feature is presented over
two parts, in this issue and the next.
On reflection, readers will be aware of the
heavy bias which this issue places on performance
management within an NHS setting and the limited
references to work undertaken within social services
departments. This reflects the emphasis of the
purchaser/provider split pursued in the NHS and
the focus on efficiency. The limited investment in
an information infrastructure in both in the NHS
and social services is a considerable hurdle still
to be overcome. Significant challenges remain in
putting in place a standardised, meaningful armoury
of performance management and quality measures
to ensurethat resources are used in the most
effective and efficient way. The benefits of services
to users and carers, particularly Black users and
those from minority groups, arestill far too variable
for us to slacken the pace in meeting these challenges.
EDITORIAL
4The Mental Health Review 2:3 ©Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) 1997
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