Commission for Health Improvement


The Commission for Health Improvement was a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department of Health of the United Kingdom from 2001 until 2004, when its functions were subsumed by the Healthcare Commission.
CHI was established by the Health Act 1999. It was the first organisation ever to assess the clinical performance of National Health Service hospitals in England. Its chair was Dame Deirdre Hine, who was a former Chief Medical Officer for Wales; and its chief executive was Dr Peter Homa CBE, who went on to become chief executive of St George's Healthcare NHS Trust in November 2003.
CHI was abolished on 31 March 2004.

Functions

CHI's aim was to improve the quality of patient care:
Its six operating principles were:
Before CHI was established the Health Advisory Service in England and Wales and the Hospital Advisory Service in Scotland performed a similar role, but only in respect of mental illness, geriatric and mental handicap services.