The Cancer Outcomes and Services Data Set provides a standard for secondary uses information required to support implementation and monitoring of Improving Outcomes: a strategy for cancer. It replaced the existing National Cancer Data Set and the Cancer Registration Data Set.
The standard:
- is required by the Department of Health for the purposes of assessing implementation of the Improving Outcomes: a strategy for cancer
- also supports local and national comparisons of performance and service activity to enable ORGANISATIONS providing Cancer Services to assess their progress towards implementation of Improving Outcomes: a strategy for cancer.
Additionally the output supports commissioning and service development through provision of relevant information on service delivery and outcomes.
All PATIENTS diagnosed with or receiving cancer treatment in (or funded by the NHS in) England are covered by the standard. This includes adult and paediatric cancer PATIENTS. The standard applies to all ORGANISATIONS providing Cancer Services within secondary care. It does not apply to general practice ORGANISATIONS.
The Cancer Outcomes and Services Data Set covers diseases as defined by the United Kingdom and Ireland Association of Cancer Registries (UKIACR) document "Mandatory Registerable Conditions (UKACR Library of Recommendations)".
Unless otherwise specified, the term cancer is used throughout the standard and related documents to cover all conditions registerable by the United Kingdom and Ireland Association of Cancer Registries.
Submission Information:
Providers of Cancer Services are required to provide a monthly return on all cancer PATIENTS using the Cancer Outcomes and Services Data Set.
The Cancer Outcomes and Services Data Set is submitted to a Cancer Registry using the COSDS XML Schema.
While the core and cancer site specific data sets are shown as separate data sets within the NHS Data Model and Dictionary, the COSDS XML Schema integrates each core and cancer site specific set of data elements. Documentation provided on the Technology Reference Data Update Distribution Service (TRUD) page at: NHS Data Model and Dictionary: DD XML Schemas gives full details of the specification.
For all diagnoses not covered by a cancer site specific data set, only the Core Data Set should be completed. A full list of diagnoses mapped to the appropriate data set is provided in the National Cancer Intelligence Network User Guidance.
Pilot Items:
Further Guidance:
Further guidance for submission of the Cancer Outcomes and Services Data Set is provided by the National Cancer Intelligence Network at Cancer Outcomes and Services Dataset.