... was deliberately not included in this study on grounds of confidentiality and anonymity. The data obtained were then analysed against a moving average trend line in absence of any specified targets or external benchmarking. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited 2010 Performance measurement National...

... earlier, is that there are considerable financial penalties if performance on the key targets is below the required standard. In addition, chief executives' jobs are at risk if performance is below par. This may cause hospital managers to “fiddle” the figures or to achieve the targets at the expense...

... Further information: the report, Targets in the Public Sector, is available at www.audit-commission.gov.uk/reports/ Audit Commission chairman, James Strachan, said: "Targets are invaluable and here to stay – but as a tool for improvement. They should never be ends in themselves...