National SMR Situation Report

The SMR (Scottish Morbidity Record) series of returns are an important source of information on health and health services.  SMR submissions are received by ISD on a daily basis and analyses are commonly based on monthly snapshots of the national databases.  Given the dynamic aspect of SMR processing, the levels of data completion will change from month to month.

The National SMR Situation Report is compiled each month after the national databases are updated and examines the completeness and timeliness of SMR databases.   It is hoped that the information contained in this report will assist both users and providers of SMR data.  The report comprises the following three sections:

Section 1 - SMR Report - issues affecting SMR submission

This table highlights backlogs for each NHS Board and SMR type.  In this report the measure used to calculate a backlog is data that has not been received by ISD up to 6 weeks following the month of discharge/clinic.  Figures indicating the increase/decrease from the previous months assessment are included.  Where a backlog exists, issues affecting submission such as availability of clinical coding information, system problems and resource issues are documented.

Section 2 - SMR % Completeness (SMR00/SMR01/SMR02 only)

These charts show SMR backlogs for each NHS Board as a percentage of a years estimated annual total (currently the last financial year April 2006 - March 2007).  The bars represent the overall estimated shortfall for each board and error bars highlight the increase/decrease from the previous months assessment.

Section 3 - SMR % Timeliness (SMR00/SMR01/SMR02 only)

These charts show the percentage of the monthly total of SMRs submitted to ISD within a 4-week, 6-week and 13-week period from the month of discharge/clinic.  The charts show the most recent month for which we expect data to be complete and the previous two years figures to provide a trend.

It should be noted that the total expected number of SMR returns will vary from month to month and this should be considered when assessing 'completeness' or 'timeliness'.

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