What this means for your practice
Annotate changes in service coverage, definitions and source coverage. Compare consistent groups where possible and explain when a like-for-like comparison is unavailable.
An example to discuss with your team
Add a fictional new location; verify that the comparison explains the changed population.
What to ask before you choose
Add a fictional site halfway through a reporting year. Can you still compare the original sites with their earlier period? Where a consistent comparison is unavailable, say why. Notes about service changes and incomplete sources make management discussions more useful.
Separate growth from a change in what is counted
Record when a new location, service or information source becomes part of a report. The overall total may rise because more activity is now included, even when the original clinics are unchanged. Show that context beside the comparison so readers do not need to remember every organisational change.
Ask the supplier to demonstrate adding a fictional clinic halfway through a period. Can the report show the combined total and, where useful, a comparison of the original clinics with their earlier results? Explain when a fair comparison cannot be made because definitions or source information differ. Include the totals behind any rate so a percentage does not hide a changing group. At a management review, ask which question the chart answers: how much work the organisation handles now, or whether comparable services have changed over time. Both can be useful, but they need clear labels and a short explanation of the differences to support sensible decisions.
How to check the result
Track unexplained discontinuities in reported trends.
Turn reading into a next step
Your action checklist
Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.
Record what you know, what is still missing and the answer you need from your team or supplier.
Use project decisions only, without personal, patient or confidential details. Entries stay in this page and are not submitted to Kay & Co. Copy or download before leaving; this page does not save your notes.
Further reading
These sources provide background for the topic. The practice examples and checklist are illustrative planning suggestions from Kay & Co.
Related guides
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