The System Outcomes Steering Group was established to provide clinical governance and a coordinated system-wide response to emerging initiatives, which are focused on improvements in quality and integration through developing key outcomes and a combined set of indicators. The key initiative the group oversees is the The System Level Measures Framework implemented by the Ministry of Health 1 July 2016.

The System Level Measures Framework requires each district health board’s alliance to identify, prioritise and coordinate actions across many parts of the system to influence a change in the six high-level measures:

1. Ambulatory Sensitive Hospitalisation Rate for 0-4 year olds;
2. Amenable Mortality Rates under 75 years;
3. Acute Hospital Bed Days;
4. Patient Experience of Care;
5. Youth Access to Health Services; and
6. Babies Living in Smokefree Homes.

The role of the System Outcomes Steering Group is to:

• Lead / guide the development of any frameworks and tools that measure activity around a set of shared outcomes;
• Champion, and advocate the embedding of outcomes frameworks / tools across the health system and as necessary within a specific expert group;
• Identify, seek to understand and analyse data that supports the identification of contributory measures;
• Provide clinical input to the identification and selection of contributory measures for the System Level Measures Improvement Plan;
• Facilitate system-wide visibility of metrics that track progress against the measures; 
• Monitor performance and provide summative reports on the outcome frameworks  / tools;
• Ensure any frameworks / tools developed align with:
  - The Ministry of Health’s expectations including the Value and Performance theme of the New Zealand Health Strategy;
  - Canterbury’s overarching vision and health system Outcome Framework; and
  - Canterbury’s local priorities.
• Ensure any proposed framework / tool that develops aligns with the following high level principles:
• Aligns activity across the system around shared outcomes;
• Reflect Canterbury’s underlying principle of  ‘Best for Patient Best for System’
• Adopt a continuous improvement lens; 
• Avoid duplication of effort; and
• Protect privacy and align with HealthSafe principles.