Help

Frequently asked questions

Q. Where can I find answers to the most frequently asked questions about the performance ratings site?

A. Visit the frequently asked questions page by following the link below, or selecting FAQ on the right-hand side of the page (under Ratings assistance).

Frequently asked questions

Navigation

Q. How can I find information?

A. The performance ratings site has three main navigation aids:

• the left navigation menu - provides access to performance indicators, ratings and related information
• the right menu - provides links to key information such as help, what's new, find your trust and contact information
• search links are displayed at the top of the page

These aspects of the site will remain constant whilst the centre page will display information for whatever option has been selected. If you have tried these options but still can't find what you're looking for, please use the Contact us link to send your query to us.

Q. How can I tell where I am in the site?

A. The breadcrumb trail at the top of the page will show exactly where you are in the site at any time. The trail is updated each time an option is selected - for example:

Home > acute trusts > indicator listings for acute trusts

Each element of the trail is a link which can be selected to jump back to that point in the site.

Working with information

Q. Do I have any control over how information is displayed?

A. The nature of content on the performance ratings site is such that information needs to be displayed in (often very long) tables.

Where possible, table columns are displayed with up/down arrows, which means that the table can be sorted by that column, in ascending or descending order - for example, you might sort a list of results by trust name, or by rating.

If a table or table heading is not displayed with up/down arrows, its information cannot be sorted in this way.

Searching

Q. What search options are available?

A. The following search options are available on the performance ratings site:

• basic search - search by trust name (or part of a name)
• advanced search - search by name, rating, strategic health authority and/or trust type
• cluster search - find all trust of a given type in a specified cluster
• geographic search - find all trusts in a strategic health authority

Q. How do I perform a basic search?

A. The basic search facility can be used to search for a trust (or trusts) by name. For example, you might choose to enter the word 'hampshire' to list all trusts in the county, or you might type the full name of a trust to return just that one entry. To do this:

1. Type the name of the trust (or as much of the name as you know) into the Search by trust name or part trust name field at the top of the page. Note: The search is not case sensitive - you can use upper and/or lower case

2. Click the Find button to perform the search. All trusts found will be listed on a Results page (in alphabetical order), together with their rating. From here you can:

   • Click the Summary link for a trust to view its results summary page.
   • Click the Trust report link for a trust to view its detailed report. Note: Confirmation of your search criteria and the number of matches displayed is shown at the top of the Results page.

   Note: Confirmation of your search criteria and the number of matches displayed is shown at the top of the Results page.

Q. How do I perform an advanced search?

A. The Advanced search facility provides further options to refine to refine your search criteria - you can choose to search by name, rating, strategic health authority, trust type or any combination of these. To do this:

1. Click the Advanced search link at the top of the page to display the Advanced search page
2. If you wish to specify a trust name, or part of a trust name, enter it into the Name of trust field. This field is not case sensitive
3. If you wish to return results for trusts that achieved a certain rating, select it from the Rating field. To return all matched trusts, irrespective of their rating, leave this set to All
4. If you wish to return trusts for a strategic health authority, click the check box for the required authority (or authorities). You can select as many authorities as required
5. If you wish to limit the search to trusts of a certain type (Acute, Ambulance, etc) select the required value from the Trust type field. To return all matches irrespective of type, leave this set to All

6. Click the Find button to perform the search. All trusts found will be listed on a Results page (in alphabetical order), together with their rating. From here you can:

   • Click the Summary link for a trust to view its results summary page
   • Click the Trust report link for a trust to view its detailed report

Note: Confirmation of your search criteria and the number of matches displayed is shown at the top of the Results page.

Q. How do I perform a cluster search?

A. The Cluster search facility enables the user to search for trusts of a given type, within a specified cluster. If required, you can refine the search on the basis of rating. To do this:

1. Click the Advanced search link at the very top of the page to display advanced search options
2. Click the Search by cluster link at the top of the page to display Cluster search options
3. Use the Choose trust type drop-down list to select the type of trust that you wish to find (i.e. Acute, Ambulance, Mental Health or Primary Care). Only one type can be selected for a search
4. Click the Select button to confirm your selection and display further What do you want to find? options
5. Use the Choose cluster drop-down list to select which cluster you wish to find. Only one cluster can be selected for a search
6. Use the Trust rating drop-down list to select which rating you wish to find. You can choose 1 star, 2 stars, 3 stars, 4 stars or ALL

7. Click the Find button to perform the search. All trusts found will be listed on a Results page (in alphabetical order), together with their rating. From here you can:

   • Click the Summary link for a trust to view its results summary page
   • Click the Trust report link for a trust to view its detailed report

   Note: Confirmation of your search criteria and the number of matches displayed is shown at the top of the Results page.

Q. How do I perform a geographic search?

A. The Geographic search facility enables the user to search for trusts within a strategic health authority. To do this:

1. Click the Geographic search link at the very top of the page to display a list of strategic health authorities and a strategic health authority map. From here you can:

   • Click the name of the strategic health authority that you wish to view
     
     or
      
   • Click and area on the map. Note: When the mouse pointer is positioned over an area of the map, the name of its strategic health authority is displayed

2. Having selected a strategic health authority from the list or from the map, a list of trusts within that authority is displayed. From here you can:

   • Click the Summary link for a trust to view its results summary page
   • Click the Trust report link for a trust to view its detailed report

Note: Confirmation of your search criteria and the number of matches displayed is shown at the top of the Results page.

Benchmark Graphs

Q. Why can't I see the whole graph on my screen?

A. The benchmark graph pages have been designed for screens set to resolution 1024 x 768 pixels. If you are using a different screen resolution you may need to use horizontal and/or vertical scroll bars to view all information shown in the charts.

Downloading files

Q. When I download files, what format will they be?

A. Throughout the performance ratings site you will find options to download information. Depending on the nature of this information, files will be in one of the following forms:

• Winzip
• Adobe Acrobat (PDF)
• Microsoft Excel

Each download available will have one of the icons above showing the type of file.

To open a Winzip file you will require a copy of the Winzip utility and to view PDF files you will require a copy of Adobe reader. A trial version of Winzip can be downloaded free of charge from the Winzip website (http://www.winzip.com/download.htm), and Adobe reader can be downloaded from the Adobe website (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html), also free of charge.

Printing

Q. How can I print information from the performance ratings site?

A. Throughout the performance ratings website you will have the opportunity to print information using print summary or print full report options. Typically, these can be found at the top of pages, with a printer icon.

When you select either of these print options, information currently displayed on the page will be printed in a 'printer friendly' way - i.e. without the surrounding web page assets.

Print icons are placed in the most likely places that information will be required. If you wish to print a page where there is no icon present, you can still use your own browser options to print the entire page - in this instance, the whole page will be printed as you see it on screen - i.e. including web page assets.

Feedback

Q. What if I have a query?

A. If you cannot find what you are looking for on the performance ratings site, or if you have any questions/feedback, please use the Contact us link to send any questions or comments to the Health Commission.