PCT chiefs critical of star-ratings, survey shows

Most primary care trust chief executives have little or no faith in the star-ratings systems - or even the ranking they were given themselves, according to the latest HSJ Barometer survey.

The panel gave the system an average confidence of 4.12 out of 10, with almost a fifth giving it a minimum score of one.

Their faith in their own rating was little better, with an average score of 5.12.

The most popular criticism was the lack of clear information on the indicators provided far enough in advance.

However, in other key indicators, confidence had generally increased since the same panel were surveyed two months ago. In particular, certainty about achieving GP recruitment targets had risen strongly with almost half scoring their confidence at eight or above.

The only score which fell significantly was on the 2005 inpatient waiting-list target, where the average confidence level fell from 8.15 to 7.99.