Example of a live MEG dashboard showing CQC domains with RAG ratings
Introduction: Dashboards Are Only Useful If They're Used
Dashboards are everywhere in healthcare. But in governance?
They’re only as valuable as the conversations they support.
We’ve seen NHS teams build beautiful, detailed dashboards, only to realise they’re not actively shaping board reporting, clinical decision-making, or team priorities. That’s not a tech problem. It’s a cultural one.
In this post, we explore what happens when dashboards move from back-room reporting to frontline governance tools. It’s based on what we’ve learned from NHS Trusts using MEG to embed dashboards into meetings, workflows, and assurance frameworks - not just to see performance, but to act on it.
Table of Contents
The Dashboard Dilemma
What We’ve Seen from NHS Governance Leaders
The Three Jobs a Dashboard Should Do
How Teams Are Making Dashboards Part of the Conversation
What MEG Dashboards Help Surface
Conclusion: Culture First, Then Tech
The Dashboard Dilemma
Most governance leads want real-time visibility.
But visibility only helps when it:
Reaches the right people
Supports the right discussions
Surfaces what matters, not just what’s measurable
In several organisations, we’ve seen dashboards launched with energy, only to fade from view after initial rollout. Why? Because they weren’t integrated into how governance teams think, meet, or make decisions.
What We’ve Seen from NHS Governance Leaders
The Trusts we’ve learned the most from have something in common:
They didn’t just launch dashboards.
They built habits around them.
Some used domain-specific dashboards (e.g. Well-Led, Safe). Others developed role-specific views for Divisions, ward managers, or executive committees.
What mattered most?
The dashboards became part of the governance rhythm, not a side project.
The Three Jobs a Dashboard Should Do
Based on what we’ve seen across partner Trusts, dashboards work best when they serve these three functions:
1. Surface signals, not noise
A good dashboard highlights what’s slipping, what’s overdue, or what’s out of pattern.
Clarity over complexity.
2. Prompt action
Every data point should have a clear implication: Who owns it? What’s the follow-up?
“Inform” isn’t enough. “Activate” is better.
3. Support assurance, not just reporting
Boards and committees need more than figures, they need confidence that risks are being seen, understood, and managed.
Dashboards must speak to governance visibility, not just operational tracking.
How Teams Are Making Dashboards Part of the Conversation
Here are some patterns we’ve observed from Trusts embedding dashboards into governance culture:
✅ Dashboards Are Standing Agenda Items
In monthly Clinical Governance or Divisional meetings, live dashboards are reviewed alongside SIs and audit updates, not after the meeting as a slide.
🗂️ Governance Packs Pull from Dashboards, Not Spreadsheets
Several Trusts now use MEG dashboard exports as the base for their committee reports, Board Assurance Frameworks, or executive updates.
🧩 Local Teams Are Given Their Own Views
Ward or site-level dashboards help clinical teams see how their activity links to domain performance or inspection readiness.
🔄 Performance Reviews Reference Domain Dashboards
Safe, Well-Led, and Responsive data are presented not by exception, but as standard inputs to team reflection and performance cycles.
What MEG Dashboards Help Surface
MEG dashboards were shaped by governance leaders who wanted clarity, not clutter.
🔹 CQC Domain Views
See audit coverage, incidents, risks and actions mapped to domain and Quality Statements
🔹 Live RAG Indicators
Highlight overdue actions, unverified learning, or gaps in assurance
🔹 Action Ownership
Track which service, team or individual is responsible and what’s been completed
🔹 Cross-System Integration
Link incidents to audits to policies, making learning and oversight easier to follow
Related Reading
Conclusion: Culture First, Then Tech
The most effective governance dashboards aren’t the most advanced.
They’re the most used.
Embedding dashboards into governance culture doesn’t start with features. It starts with habits:
Reviewing dashboards together
Taking action from them
Reporting from them
Trusting them
When that happens, dashboards stop being reporting tools and become assurance systems.
Want to explore what dashboards could look like for your governance structure?
Book a MEG Dashboard Walkthrough and we’ll show you how NHS teams are using real-time views to support real-world decisions.