Administering the National Health Service (NHS) is asking to navigate without reliable and sufficient information. It is amazing how a national service costing more than £15,OOOM (1984) and employing more than 1 million has existed since 1948. It is likely that with better appropriate data there could be economies and great efficiency and effectiveness. Paradoxically there is much data on the NHS, published and unpublished, that has remained unexploited and unused. In this book we have taken up the challenges of showing the availability of data and its presentation so that clinicians, adminis­ trators, committee members and politicians can better understand the state and needs of the NHS. Why this book? Because it is not possible to make decisions without facts. There is too much data around that is unrelated to the needs of clinicians, administrators, committee members and politicians. It can be brought together to provide bases for de­ cisions and, more important, to show the gaps that exist and the need for more information. What does it contain? It includes social and demographic data, NHS facts and figures, manpower data on the use of the NHS and some examples of how quality can be assessed and promoted.