New NHS Quality Strategy puts outcomes and evidence at the heart of improvement

17 Jul 2026

NHS England published its Quality Strategy for NHS funded care in England this week, on behalf of the National Quality Board. Building on the 10 Year Health Plan for England and the 2025 Review of patient safety across the health and care landscape, it sets the direction for how the NHS will approach quality over the next decade, playing a pivotal role in improving care and outcomes for patients. HQIP’s CEO, Chris Gush, outlines his initial insights below, and explains why we welcome this “value-based” strategy, calling on the wider healthcare sector to use the data programmes already in place to deliver it…

“Whether supporting patients to survive, recover, or live well, improving outcomes is the primary reason why healthcare services exist. And, of course, understanding how best to achieve that, in an efficient and sustainable way, is crucial in today’s NHS.

It starts with understanding what is happening; knowing what is working well, and what is not. Measuring outcomes accurately, and at national scale, is a fundamental part of what HQIP does. Through the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP) and the National Joint Registry, we run the audits, outcome reviews and registries that provide insights into much of the national picture. They produce some of the most reliable data anywhere in the NHS on how care is delivered.

However, the Quality strategy is candid that measurement is only part of the route to improved outcomes. The harder step is helping the system to absorb what that data shows, and act upon it – which takes, and deserves, significant support and attention. That is why – through dedicated improvement activities via our programmes and national initiatives such as Clinical Audit Awareness Week – we have been focusing much of our effort into translating evidence into action. So, we are heartened to see that this new strategy puts real weight behind outcomes being understood and acted upon, not simply recorded.

A few points stand out. The strategy treats clinical audit, outcome measurement and registries as national infrastructure, rather than a technical detail. It keeps the focus where it belongs: on the outcomes of care (on patients and their lives) rather than the process of delivering care. It is also clear about the fact that this evidence only proves its worth once it reaches the people who can act on it, whether in a clinical team, a trust board or an integrated care board. And it takes a whole pathway view of care, which is where much of the variation that prevents systemic improvement tends to sit. These are the issues that national clinical audit was built to address, covering the areas that the strategy prioritises – from cardiovascular disease and sepsis through to maternity, mental health and care for children and young people.

This is not new ground for us. For thirty years, national clinical audit has measured the outcomes of care and shown the NHS where patients do well and where they need change. A good deal of what the strategy describes already exists in some form. HQIP’s audit data is available through the NHS Open Model Health System. Our benchmarking tool lets trusts see how their outcomes compare with others across the country. Our recommendations repository brings together the key changes that national audit reports identify are needed. And much of our effort goes into turning all of this into insight that boards, commissioners and clinical teams can actually use – which is the shift from measurement to action that the strategy is asking for.

As such, there’s plenty to build on. There’s also work to do. The NHS quality landscape is broad and has developed over many years, with a wide range of audits and registries operating alongside the HQIP national programme. Their methods, their approaches, their routes for escalation and their assurance currently vary. Bringing greater consistency here, anchored in robust data, is one of the things the quality strategy sets out to achieve, and it will strengthen our collective ability to improve clinical outcomes.

There’s room to grow, too. Many aspects of clinical care and many insights into patient experience are not yet captured, measured or reported. Extending the quality strategy to every part of NHS care is where much of the opportunity lies.

HQIP looks forward to working alongside the National Quality Board, NHS England, the Welsh Government, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and our Royal College partners, to maximise the value of the national programmes that are already in place and achieve the step change in care quality outlined in this strategy.

More information

HQIP is commissioned by NHS England and the Welsh Government to manage the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP) and the National Joint Registry (NJR). Our programmes measure the outcomes of care across clinical areas from cardiovascular disease and maternity to mental health, diabetes, surgical outcomes and care for children and young people. Our data is available through the Open Model Health System and our National Clinical Audit Benchmarking tool. For more on the impact of clinical audit, visit www.hqip.org.uk.

Read the Quality Strategy for NHS funded care in England: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/quality-strategy-for-nhs-funded-care-in-england/