NHS Data Standards & Products
Introduction
NHS Data Standards & Products (NHS DS&P), part of the Technology Office of NHS Connecting for Health, are responsible for the introduction, development and delivery of coding system products used in the patient records of the NHS Care Records Service, and for the phasing out of dated systems. This is our principal and main focus. The vast majority of codes produced by NHS DS&P are unique and almost all of our coding systems are interrelated.
As part of NHS Connecting for Health’s membership of the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation (IHTSDO), NHS Data Standards & Products also acts as host of the UK Terminology Centre (UKTC) on behalf of the UK.
The products NHS DS&P are responsible for include:
Artefacts Included In the NHS Terminology Service April 2007 Release (xls, 27kb).xls
As part of the delivery and ongoing development, support and maintenance of these products, NHS DS&P provide a set of Data Product services and helpdesk facilities which incorporate:
NHS DS&P also provide a number of other Services delivering codes, and data and quality standards to the NHS incorporating:
- Spine Directory Service (SDS)
- Information Quality Assurance Programme (IQAP)
The importance of Data Standards & Products
For example, read the taxi driver's story.
Within the NHS Care Records Service the taxi driver's wife will have a number of electronic records related to the care she has received from the NHS. There will be lots of 'coded' information in these records. She has asthma; this fact and what specific type of asthma will be coded using SNOMED CT terms. The tablets she is on will be recorded as a dictionary of medicines + devices (dm+d) code. The pharmacy she got the tablets from, the various hospitals and GP practices she has been to will be recorded using National Administrative Codes. Her name and address will be held in a standard format as defined in the NHS Data Dictionary. If she had any specific operations (procedures) done in hospital then these will be classified using OPCS4 codes.
NHS Data Standards & Products are at the heart of the NHS Care Records Service and play a crucial role in ensuring that when the taxi driver's wife next turns up at an NHS centre, the computer system in use will be able to interpret and present accurate information about her.
Further information and contacts
Address general queries to - datastandards@nhs.net
For queries on a specific data products service visit that service webpage.
NHS Terminology Service
The NHS Terminology Service provides support and maintenance for the following Data Products:
The NHS Terminology Service also manages the IHTSDO UK Terminology Centre (UKTC) on behalf of NHS Data Standards & Products.
Artefacts Included In the NHS Terminology Service April 2007 Release (xls, 27kb).xls
Notification of fix for CLUE data
NHS Classifications Service
The NHS Classifications Service provides support and maintenance for the following Data Products:
- OPCS4
- The Intervention Classification project enhancing OPCS 4.3 and a number of new and specialised procedures
- ICD-10
NHS Data Model and Dictionary Service
The NHS Data Model and Dictionary Service provides the development, maintenance and support of NHS data standards. NHS data standards with appropriate guidance and rules are published in the NHS Data Dictionary to support the recording, sharing, exchange and comparison of data and information across and within the NHS. NHS data standards are presented as an NHS Data Model to ensure that the standards are consistent and integrated across all NHS business areas.
Information Quality Assurance Programme
The Information Quality Assurance Programme (IQAP) supports data quality teams across the NHS by providing direction, best practice and advice. The Programme was established to support data quality teams across the NHS in ensuring that current patient information held by the NHS within Care Records is accurate, up-to-date and quick and easy to find.
