ABSTRACT
The National Health Service collects a vast amount of information on a routine basis, but much of it is unused. Any attempts to use such information to evaluate performance has been criticised by the medical profession. The National Health Service tends to gather together information on a national basis in an aggregated form thus making district by district comparisons virtually impossible. Information was then made available to clinicians and managers in the form of colour diagrams and text commentaries. Information was sent to clinicians and managers only when requested by them. Information about district services has been requested by over 150 districts in England, with one third of those requests coming directly from consultants. Within three months of the service being made available on BBC microcomputer over 60 health authorities have purchased equipment to enable them to take information on floppy disc.
