A management approach that drives actions strategically: balanced scorecard in a mental health trust case study.

Purpose: Achieving excellence is a current preoccupation in U.K. public health organisations. This article aims to use a case study to explain how a mental health trust delivers excellent performance using a balanced scorecard (BSC) management approach.

Design/methodology/approach: Reports a project to implement a BSC approach in the South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust to achieve its "excellence" objectives. The authors were participants in the project. The design of the pilot project was informed theoretically by the work of Kaplan and Norton and practically by in-house discussions on a strategy to achieve excellence.

Findings: Explains the process of building a BSC strategy step-by-step. Discusses how the vision and strategies of a mental health trust can be translated into tangible measures, which are the basis for actions that are driven strategically.

Research limitations/implications: There are many possibilities for a BSC management approach and this case study is specific to mental health trusts in the UK, although it is believed that the case has a universally applicable modus operandi.

Practical implications: This article will help healthcare managers to evaluate the benefits of a BSC management approach.

Originality/value: This article explains how actions can be structured in connection with a BSC management approach.