The primary purpose of national data sets is to enable conformant health information to be generated across the country, independent of the ORGANISATION or system that maintains it. In achieving this, the Health and Social Care Information Centre will enable healthcare professionals to measure and compare the delivery and quality of care provided and to support them in sharing information with other health professionals and ORGANISATIONS.

Information Requirements

• monitor and manage NHS SERVICE AGREEMENTS;
• develop commissioning plans;
• support the Payment by Results processes;
• support NHS Comparators;
• monitor Health Improvement Programmes;
• underpin clinical governance;
• understand the health needs of the population.
• support reporting against 18 week wait targets

Information on care provided for all PATIENTS by NHS Hospitals and Primary Care Trusts and Independent Sector Providers (for NHS PATIENTS only) is specified in the Commissioning Data Sets and must be submitted to the Secondary Uses Service according to issued guidelines.

Commissioners need access to data to monitor Non-Contract Activity as part of the management of their NHS SERVICE AGREEMENTS. Primary Care Trusts also need to monitor in-year referrals to investigate the sources and reasons for Non-Contract Activity.

Independent Sector Treatment Centres (TC) are responsible for providing Admitted Patient Care and Out-Patient Attendance Commissioning Data Sets and may submit this data on their own behalf or via a third party. Other Independent Sector activity for NHS PATIENTS is the responsibility of the NHS commissioning body for the provision of the appropriate central returns and data sets.

The Department of Health requires accurate data of all PATIENTS admitted to or treated as out-patients, or treated as an Accident and Emergency Attendance by NHS Hospital Providers and Primary Care Trusts, including PATIENTS receiving private treatment. The data also includes NHS PATIENTS treated electively in the independent sector and overseas. These Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are derived from the Admitted Patient Care, Out-Patient Attendance and Accident and Emergency Attendance Commissioning Data Sets as stored in the Secondary Uses Service. This data provides information about hospital and PATIENT management, epidemiological data on PATIENT DIAGNOSES and OPERATIVE PROCEDURES.

Referral To Treatment Clock Stop Administrative Events may also flow using the CDS V6 Type 020 - Outpatient CDS. This allows the Secondary Uses Service to build accurate PATIENT PATHWAYS for the reporting of 18 weeks activity.

Commissioning Data Set Data Flow Definitions

CDS TYPES

The Commissioning Data Set is the basic structure used for the submission of commissioning data to the Secondary Uses Service and is designed to be capable of individually conveying many different Commissioning Data Set structures encompassing Accident and Emergency Attendances, Out-Patient Attendances, Future Attendances, Admitted Patient Care and Elective Admission List data etc.

Commissioning Data Set Messages have been defined in specific components known as a CDS TYPE. Each Commissioning Data Set Type as configured into the Commissioning Data Set Message carries only one specific Commissioning Data Set Type, an examples being the Finished Consultant Episode Commissioning Data Set Type etc.