Revealing heart death figures

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Three trusts fail to reveal heart death figures

This report in yesterdays Guardian suggests that "Three leading NHS hospitals risk being downgraded for failing to give information on the death rates of their heart surgery patients". It includes speculation about the problems in collecting and sharing the data.

This was a prelude to the launch today of a new web site "Heart Surgery in Great Britain" from the Healthcare Commission which aims to "help patients who need heart surgery to make informed choices about their care and treatment". The site provides, information about the rates of survival for patients who have had certain types of heart surgery at different surgical units across Great Britain. It also provides general information about different operations, the benefits of having heart surgery, and details about what to expect after you have had an operation.

Technorati Tags: NHS, heart surgery