Service line management (SLM) starts with service line reporting (SLR). Service lines are the units from which the trust’s services are delivered, each with their own focus on particular medical conditions or procedures and their own specialist clinicians. Each unit also has clearly identified resources, including support services, staffing and finances. SLR gives a clear picture of how each service is working, at both an operational and financial level.
Service line management uses the data from service line reporting, to develop an organisation structure and management framework within which clinicians and managers can plan service activities, set objectives and targets, monitor their service’s financial and operational activity, and manage performance.