Collection of Private Healthcare activity data by NHS England

Closed 30 Apr 2023

Opened 9 Mar 2023

Contact

ADAPt programme team

0300 303 5678

enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk

Overview

We are proposing that NHS England collects and processes private healthcare hospital activity data known as admitted patient care (APC)[1] data.

This will result in NHS funded and private healthcare activity data being available for the first time within a single repository, enabling it to be linked to meet a variety of customer needs. This will also contribute to achieving recommendation 1 of the Paterson Inquiry.

“We recommend that there should be a single repository of the whole practice of consultants across England, setting out their practicing privileges and other critical consultant performance data, for example, how many times a consultant has performed a particular procedure and how recently. This should be accessible and understandable to the public. It should be mandated for use by managers and healthcare professionals in both the NHS and independent sector.”[2]

 

This consultation sets out the details of the proposed collection and processing of private healthcare hospital activity data by NHS England.

 

[1] Care activity which takes place in a hospital setting where the admission includes at least one overnight stay (inpatient) or where no overnight stay is involved (day case)

[2] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/863211/issues-raised-by-paterson-independent-inquiry-report-web-accessible.pdf

 

Why your views matter

This new consultation is designed to widen the range of views that have contributed to the Acute Data Alignment (ADAPt) project to date, and to ensure that we identify, and address, any significant issues and concerns that may arise.

In doing so, we want to understand the extent to which people are supportive of our vision of a standardised version and single source of healthcare information, and to explore the use (and restrictions of use), and benefits, of combining NHS and private activity data within NHS centralised reporting systems.

You can either give us your views online or else download a copy of the consultation document and submit a response by email. Our contact details are opposite. Please mention "ADAPt consultation" in any response or message sent to us.

Download the consultation document (PDF, 690KB)

Download the data specification (Appendix 1) (PDF, 318KB)

What happens next

We will:

  • Publish anonymised responses to the feedback gathered during the consultation exercise within 8 weeks of the consultation closing date together with our responses to this.
  • Consider all feedback and use it to inform the final scope and design of the changes to be implemented.
  • Provide regular communications on progress to key stakeholders.
  • Engage with and support private healthcare providers to ensure that they are fully prepared for any changes to reporting.
  • Investigate further opportunities to fully integrate and align information about private and NHS funded patients to ensure transparency to the system and public.

Our continued engagement with key stakeholders and users will ensure that any potential opportunities are fully considered. Any future change proposals may be subject to a further public consultation exercise.

Areas

  • All Areas

Audiences

  • Commissioners
  • Patients
  • Members of the Public
  • Academia/Research
  • NHS care providers
  • Independent sector care providers

Interests

  • Private healthcare data