There is little doubt that NHS providers generally oppose the publication of league tables and that publication has a negative impact on public trust and professional morale. Furthermore, while the public has a right to know about the quality of services, it is irresponsible to provide information that is of questionable validity or difficult to comprehend, write the authors.
Control charts are an alternative method, used in the manufacturing industry, that could be introduced in their place, suggest the authors. They overcome these problems by displaying performance without ranking, and promoting the use of a systems approach to quality improvement.
This technique would have the dual advantage of being less threatening to providers of health services and would be more easily understood and correctly interpreted by patients, auditors, and commissioners of services, they conclude.