EmailBrian Derry, the centre's executive director of information services, said the system will allow it to look at numerous quality indicators for healthcare providers such as hospitals.
"Historically, quality has looked at one dimension at a time," he said. "It might look at mortality rates, patient feedback, healthcare associated infection. What we're hoping to do is use these data sets together."
Derry said that organisations are under pressure to reduce costs and improve efficiency, and there could be a temptation to cut the quality of care in some areas, but that monitoring across a range of indicators should provide a safeguard.
The new software has been provided with some implementation services by business analytics firm SAS for an undisclosed amount, and will supply data to Information Centre customers including trusts, NHS Choices and health authorities. Its implementation, which will take about a year, began in April.
Derry said the centre already used SAS software, and this deal was part of a programme of standardisation on a small number of products, which aims to rationalise and strengthen the centre's processes.
A pilot data mining project with the system, on the centre's own staffing, has shown the benefit of specialist staff in areas such as data extraction working across several teams, rather than in specific areas as at present, Derry said.
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