The Dr Foster website, www.drfosterhealth.co.uk/inequalities was launched on the evening of Wednesday 10 June in support of the groundbreaking report, The Intelligent Board: Commissioning to reduce inequalities. It was picked up by the Mail on Sunday who ran with the headline, 'Go online for your PCT's health status'.
The article focused on local NHS services struggling to meet the needs of local people at the primary care level and at home. Instead, said the Mail on Sunday, the website showed where hospital admissions were higher than expected.
Tim Kelsey, Chair of the executive board of Dr Foster was quoted as saying, "We want to give the public access to meaningful information about the quality of healthcare available to them. If a PCT is failing, we hope individuals will use this information to hold their local NHS services to account."
The article goes on to make regional comparisons based on the data available through the website.
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