With the difficulties of installing IT in the NHS riding high in the news this week it could be tempting to try the ‘Do It Yourself’ approach.

In fact, around 80% of Trusts have developed their own proprietary systems, but as the demand for a higher volume and higher quality of data becomes ever greater, is this really the best option?

A common risk faced by Trusts developing their own in-house data warehouse or business intelligence solution is underestimating the time, money and resources involved not only in designing, building and testing the solution, but in the on-going process of routinely collecting, cleansing and analysing data.

Another pitfall of having an in-house solution developed to meet a specific NHS reporting requirement, is that it may well ‘do the job’, but will not easily have the capacity to be expanded, to meet new, more demanding reporting requirements, which lie at the heart of improving overall healthcare delivery and outcomes.

Effective business intelligence solutions can turn mountains of data into meaningful information, so Trusts can make informed decisions from viewing a snapshot of performance reality, quickly turning insight into action. Using data more effectively in this way means a better flow of patients, enabling managers and clinicians to plan and manage their workloads more effectively and deliver an improved level of service without the hassle of installing and updating the solution themselves.