Premier League Table
for Improving Well-Being
A unique way to gain the best value from public health interventions has been created by the Matrix Knowledge Group.
It gives health commissioners a league table to help them decide how they divide spending between, for example, smoking cessation programmes and school-based obesity education. The breakthrough, developed for Health England, is a vital asset for achieving World Class Commissioning in healthcare.
The model weighs up each intervention in terms of its cost-effectiveness, the number of people impacted and how much it benefits disadvantaged groups in particular. The final scores create a ranked list of 14 top interventions.
It’s a deceptively simple and highly useful system, underpinned by exhaustive research and complex economic analysis. The top eight are so cost-effective that they pay for themselves.
The best value for money turns out to be extra taxes on alcohol and smoking. Mid-league are GP consultations to promote physical activity. Mental health interventions – support for caregivers and depression screening for retirees – rank at 13 and 14.
To create the ranking, Matrix consulted key stakeholders to develop a short list of important interventions. They also surveyed decision-makers to identify the criteria and then value the three most important: cost-effectiveness, numbers of people impacted and the benefits gained by disadvantaged populations.
Next, Matrix researched all available evidence for each intervention in terms of cost, outcomes, reach and impact on inequality. Weighing these facts, according to relative importance, they produced a league table.
These rankings will not reflect the priorities of all PCTs. Some may place different weight, for example, on tackling inequality or on cost-effectiveness. Some may begin with a different set of proposed interventions. The beauty of the Matrix model is that it can be adapted at PCT level. It can be recalibrated for different priorities and alternative interventions so that each PCT gains a bespoke league table.
The tool, entitled Health England Leading Prioritisation (HELP), is available online at http://help.matrixknowledge.com/
