PROMs (Patient Reported Outcome Measures) - Northgate Public Services

Northgate Public Services, in partnership with Quality Health, won a major Department of Health contract to manage the Patient Reported Outcomes and Measures (PROMs) pilot. PROMs programmes rely on collecting patient questionnaire data at scale, ensuring data quality, and coordinating work across multiple organisations — all while maintaining strict security and governance.

Inflecto was engaged to design and build the supporting system. We were well placed to deliver it, having previously worked with Quality Health on similar platforms and having relevant experience with NHS patient questionnaire systems.

The challenge

This project was challenging not because of one single technical hurdle, but because of the operational complexity around it:

• Multiple organisations and divisions needed to collaborate on one workflow
• A mix of suppliers, contractors, and partner organisations had to interact securely
• The system needed to support high-volume questionnaire handling and correction
• Data quality and auditability were critical from end to end
• The platform had to be delivered into Northgate’s hosting environment and governance model

Inflecto worked closely with several divisions within Northgate as well as external suppliers and contractors, coordinating requirements and delivery across parallel workstreams.

What we delivered

A web-based .NET application hosted in Northgate’s data centre, built to support the full lifecycle of PROMs questionnaire handling — from access control, to administration, to scanning-stage quality assurance and correction.

Secure access for partner organisations

The system provided secure access to partner organisations distributed throughout the UK, ensuring the right teams could access the tools and data they needed while maintaining strict controls.

Questionnaire creation and administration

Tools for the creation and administration of questionnaires, supporting consistent configuration and reliable operational execution across the programme.

Candidate helpline call management

A helpline management component allowing staff to handle calls from candidates and log them appropriately, keeping the operational record close to the data process.

Data quality checks and modification workflows

PROMs value depends on data integrity. The platform included capabilities to:

• Perform structured data quality checks
• Support controlled data modification of questionnaire records when required
• Maintain a clear operational workflow around corrections and changes

Image archiving and data repository (view/edit for correction)

The system acted as an image archival system and data repository, allowing questionnaires to be viewed and edited by operators to correct issues such as:

• OCR errors
• Coding errors

This ensured the final dataset was as clean and usable as possible.

Early error interception at scanning stage (secure web services)

To reduce downstream rework, the solution supported early interception of errors during scanning through secure web services — enabling issues to be caught and addressed sooner in the process.

Outcome

The finished platform enabled the PROMs pilot to operate as a coordinated, secure programme — supporting partners across the UK, maintaining data quality, and providing practical tools for administration, helpline support, and scanning/correction workflows.