Our quality story

Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio (HSMR) 

This is an indicator of healthcare quality that measures whether the number of deaths in hospital is higher or lower than you would expect.

Like all statistical indicators it is not perfect, but can be both a measure of safe, high-quality care and a warning sign that things are going wrong.

What's the standard?

A score of 100 means that the number of deaths is similar to what you would expect. A higher score means more deaths; a lower score, fewer.

How are we doing?

Our recent performance:

• September 2019 – 72
• August – 71.7
• July – 73.2.

Our HSMR score is one of the lowest (a good thing) in the NHS.

Our HSMR is consistently good. This means that the emphasis we place on patient safety is helping us to provide good care and has a direct effect in helping to reduce avoidable deaths.

Care is needed when interpreting the HSMR score. It is best viewed alongside other measures – for example the Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator – to see if there is a consistent picture.

How you can help us

Safety is our absolute priority. If you have any concerns, please raise them with the staff caring for you – just ask to speak to the person in charge, usually a senior nurse or doctor.

Got a question?

If you have a question about or comment on this information, please contact the communications team at communicationsteam@gstt.nhs.uk.