Contract Monitoring

Overview

In 2015-16 NHS England team introduced consistent reporting formats for the four core flows used to support the commissioning of secondary care services.

For 2019-20, the NHS Contract has been used as the vehicle to secure provider compliance supported by agreed Data Quality Improvement Plans (DQIPs). This has delivered significant benefits and enabled, for the first time, the aggregation of commissioning information to a national level for all NHS England direct commissioning functions.

NHS England has pursued the creation of Information Standards Notices so that all commissioners and providers can use the same reporting formats to support the commissioning process.

The four core commissioning datasets were issued as information standards in April 2019, with a status of voluntary application in 2019-20.

• DCB2050 Aggregate Contract Monitoring (ACM)
• DCB3003 Patient Level Contract Monitoring (PLCM)
• DCB2212 Drugs Patient Level Contract Monitoring (DrPCM)
• DCB3002 Devices Patient Level Contract Monitoring (DePLCM)

Current usage

• All acute and mental health, NHS and Independent Sector providers commissioned by NHS England direct commissioning functions are utilising the ACM, PLCM, DrPLCM and DePLCM report formats (where relevant) to support the commissioning process. It was recommended that community and ambulance services also adopted the Aggregate Contract Monitoring (ACM) standard for aggregate reporting.
• 25% of CCGs have secured compliance with these reporting formats in 2019-20.

Why your views matter

The purpose of this consultation is to determine the level of support to move these information standards from voluntary adoption to a mandatory reporting requirement for NHS or Independent Sector providers of acute and mental health services and all commissioners (Clinical Commissioning Groups and all NHS England direct commissioning functions). There remains a recommendation that NHS or Independent Sector providers of community or ambulance services adopt the use of the Aggregate Contract Monitoring (ACM) standard for their reporting.

This consultation is being undertaken as part of the process to obtain approval for changes to these information standards from the Data Coordination Board (DCB). Your feedback will help to inform DCB decisions for approval to any changes to the reporting status of the standards and subsequent publication of updated information standards under section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.