Performance Management

Leads wanted performance frameworks to include outcomes, experience, acuity, equity, cost-effectiveness, and broader system impacts. Implementation leads criticized performance management that focused mainly on bed numbers and occupancy. Occupancy targets without acuity weighting could pressure sites to admit lower-acuity patients who may not need hospital admission. Pressure to increase bed numbers could overstretch staff and threaten safe patient care. Inconsistent recording and reporting made cross-site comparisons unreliable and potentially unfair. Some sites included or considered including existing community patients in virtual ward counts to meet targets.