HSMR and other hospital mortality statistics

HSMR and other hospital mortality statistics 

It has become apparent in recent weeks that certain sectors of the media have been happy to present mortality figures from the HSMR methodology in a completely misleading way. This seems to fit an anti-NHS agenda, and the figures have been quoted by the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt. Figures were leaked and reported in the most dramatic tones prior to the publication of the Keogh report, only for the headlines to be contradicted in the strongest terms by the author. He even went so far as to apologise to the Rt Hon Andy Burnham, Shadow Health Secretary, for the attacks launched by the Government on the basis of the flawed mortality statistics.
Sir Bruce Keogh has stated that it is "clinically meaningless & academically reckless to use such measures to quantify…avoidable deaths". There are systems in place to correct for the various factors that affect mortality due to particular surgical procedures. These are well researched and validated. The same cannot be said for the HSMR, which was not considered by Andrew Francis QC in his review of Mid Staffs to be able to ascertain any particular figure or range of figures for excess deaths. The figure of 1200 excess deaths cannot be found anywhere in the Francis Report.
The suspicion must be that the figures produced by these calculations are being used, either deliberately or recklessly, to persuade the public that the NHS is failing. In light of the increasing involvement of private healthcare involvement, the media coverage needs careful scrutiny.