An hierarchical clustering procedure is applied to data on the percentage of hospital beds in five standard categories for the 191 District Health Authorities in England. A series of graphical displays are then presented which build on the clustering procedure and allow more detailed inter-District comparisons to be made. This empirical analysis illustrates the power of graphical methods for data analysis and stresses the importance of the identification of groups of similar Districts in order to allow meaningful inter-District comparisons to be made.
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