The Victorian Health Services Performance Monitoring Framework (the Framework) articulates the Government's performance monitoring of Victorian public health services and hospitals. The Framework promotes transparency and shared accountability for performance improvement across the system and helps inform future policy and planning strategies.
The Framework describes the contextual, strategic and operational aspects of monitoring and improving health services’ performance. It also describes the various roles the Department of Health (the department), Safer Care Victoria (SCV) and the Victorian Agency for Health Information (VAHI) have in building, designing and monitoring best practice indicators to assist with the implementation of health services’ performance strategies.
The Framework was revised in 2017-2018, following the Review of Hospital Safety and Quality Assurance in Victoria (Targeting Zero). The 2019-20 Framework again built on Targeting Zero's foundation by strengthening health service performance monitoring in Victoria; assisting our health services in continuing to deliver safe, high-quality care and experiences to Victorians.
Performance monitoring of Victorian health services involves a process of continual improvement to ensure that measurements are relevant to both system managers and health services, while remaining aligned to contemporary methods of service delivery. Looking beyond current practices and identifying opportunities for future improvement is a key component of this process.
The Framework’s structure remains unchanged in 2022-23 and continues to operate in accordance with the Health Services Act 1988 (HSA) and other contextual elements, including:
- the Government's commitment to making real and measurable contribution to making Victorians the healthiest people in the world; and
- service delivery targets guided by the current Department of Health’s Operational Plan, as set out in each health service's Statement of Priorities (SOP).
The Framework consists of two separate, but interconnected documents:
- The Framework – outlines the department’s risk-based approach; and
- Victorian Health Services Performance Monitoring Framework Indicator Business Rules (the Business Rules) - contains the list of Key Performance Measures and Underlying Risk Factors, as well as their temporal elements and technical specifications, that support the Framework. The Business Rules indicators and metrics are updated throughout the year. This reflects a simple and flexible approach to performance monitoring.
The 2022-23 Framework
The department continues to learn from past experience in adapting the Framework to suite the agile environment in the sector. However, minimal changes have been introduced in 2022-23, reducing the burden on the sector, in what continues to be a dynamic environment.
The five new measures incorporated to the Framework for 2022-23 continue to emphasise high quality and safe care. One measure relating to patient experience has been removed from the Framework, due to overlaps with other existing measures. For detailed information regarding the changed measures and the full list of measures, refer to the Business Rules.
We continue to learn from the experience of implementing the Framework, leading to improvements in the performance monitoring process, and greater clarity about the roles and responsibilities of health services, the department, SCV and VAHI.
2019-20 Framework
Reviewed 31 January 2023