Contextual Overview
The Community Services Data Set (CSDS) is a PATIENT level, output based, secondary uses data set which will deliver robust, comprehensive, nationally consistent and comparable person-centred information for people who are in contact with NHS-funded Community Health Services. As a secondary uses data set it intends to re-use clinical and operational data for purposes other than direct PATIENT care. It defines the data items, definitions and associated value sets to be extracted or derived from local systems.
The data collected in the Community Services Data Set covers all NHS-funded Community Health Services provided by Health Care Providers in England. This includes all SERVICES listed in the SERVICE OR TEAM TYPE REFERRED TO FOR COMMUNITY CARE within the Community Services Data Set, including any SERVICES that have transitioned into new organisational forms as a result of the Transforming Community Services (TCS) programme. This includes acute and Independent Sector Healthcare Providers that provide NHS-funded Community Health Services.
The Community Services Data Set is used by the Department of Health and Social Care, commissioners and Health Care Providers of Community Health Services and PATIENTS, as the data set provides:
- National, comparable, standardised data about Community Health Services that are being delivered, which will support intelligent commissioning decisions and SERVICE provision
- Information on the use of resources to improve the operational management of SERVICES
- Information on outcomes, to help to address health inequalities
- Support for current national outcome indicators for Community Health Services
- Traceability and visibility of Community Health Service expenditure, allowing the implementation of new payment approaches for Community Health Services through the development of defined currencies which are underpinned by consistent data
- Information to improve reference costs for Community Health Services, to ensure that these are reported consistently
- Support for a nationally consistent clinical record for all PATIENTS across England, which can be used to support national research projects
- Information for the future development of Community Health Services.
Data Collection
The Community Services Data Set provides the definitions for data to provide timely, pseudonymised PATIENT-based data and information for purposes other than direct clinical care, e.g. planning, commissioning, public health, clinical audit, performance improvement, research, clinical governance.
Data is expected to be collected from various clinical systems, collated and assembled. This standard is intended to facilitate electronic data recording and reporting but it is not intended to create clinical records for Community Health Services or to enable systems used by Community Health Services to interoperate with other clinical systems.
Submission Information
The Community Services Data Set is submitted via the Strategic Data Collection Service in the Cloud (SDCS Cloud) maintained by NHS Digital using the Community Services Data Set (CSDS) XML Schema.
Format Information
Data for submission will be formatted into an XML file as per the Technology Reference Data Update Distribution (TRUD) page at: NHS Data Model and Dictionary: DD XML Schemas.
For enquiries regarding the XML Schema, please contact NHS Digital at enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk.
Further Guidance
Further information and implementation guidance has been produced by NHS Digital and is available at: