Why Benchmark?
Benchmarking - bentʃˌmɑː.kɪŋ
The act of measuring the quality of something by comparing it with something else
“NHS benchmarking gives you, in my opinion, excellent questions for you then to go and discover the answers to. It gives you an indication of something, but it’s the interrogation and peer review that gives you the opportunity to discover your own improvement questions.”
Why Should Your Organisation Engage in Benchmarking?
Benchmarking is more than just comparing numbers. It’s a strategic tool crucial for organisations as it can identify inconsistencies that can be explored, ultimately improving performance, enhancing patient care, and ensuring efficiency.
Here are some key reasons why an organisation should engage in benchmarking:
1. Improving patient outcomes - By comparing performance with other providers, organisations can identify best practices that lead to better patient care.
2. Enhancing efficiency - Benchmarking helps identify inefficiencies in processes, resource allocation, and service delivery, in turn enabling cost savings .
3. Comparing to standards - Benchmarking allows organisations to see how their compliance with national standards compares with others.
4. Identifies both strengths and weaknesses - It provides a clear picture of areas where an organisation excels and areas that may need improvement.
5. Encourages continuous improvement - Benchmarking fosters a culture of learning and ongoing development by driving evidence-based decision-making.
6. Enhancing patient satisfaction - Comparing patient experience metrics with other organisations can help improve patient satisfaction.
7. Supporting strategic decision-making - Data-driven insights from benchmarking can inform policy changes, workforce planning, and investment in new technologies.
8. Boosting staff performance - Understanding performance gaps can lead to better staff training and a clearer understanding of the optimum workforce profile.
9. Increasing staff retention - Benchmarking can give you an understanding of staffing compared to other organisations, alongside staff satisfaction metrics, this can lead to identifying areas to improve staff retention.
