The Commission for Health Improvement has launched a web-based self-assessment tool for NHS organisations to help them identify their strengths and weaknesses in how they use information. The use of information has consistently been shown to be the worst scoring area of activity in the Commission’s governance reports. The self-assessment tool uses a pyramid model to explain use of information, and models of good and bad practice. The tool highlights areas of strength and weakness within NHS organisations and where developments need to be prioritised.When an area of weakness is discovered, users can go to the library of examples of innovative solutions already developed within the NHS. The library of good ideas has been developed to enable NHS organisations to gain more knowledge and make use of possible solutions to information problems. Areas covered include: data quality, data integration, information management and technology training.

The Self Assessment Tool is available at: http://chi.gov.uk/eng/assessment/index.shtml