Commissioning Data Sets Overview

The purpose of the Commissioning Data Sets  is to enable conformant health ACTIVITY information to be generated, independent of the ORGANISATION  or system that maintains it. This enables health CARE 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.

Commissioning Data Sets  currently support the following ACTIVITIES:

• monitoring and managing NHS SERVICE CONTRACTS

• developing commissioning plans

• supporting the National Tariff Payment System

• underpinning clinical governance

• understanding the health needs of the population

• reporting waiting time measurement

Information on care provided for all PATIENTS by Health Care Providers  (both NHS and Independent Sector Healthcare Providers for NHS PATIENTS only) must be submitted to the Secondary Uses Service according to the Commissioning Data Set Mandated Data Flows  guidelines.

Commissioning ORGANISATIONS need access to data to monitor Non-Contract Activity as part of the management of their NHS SERVICE CONTRACTS, and to monitor in-year REFERRAL REQUESTS to investigate the sources and reasons for Non-Contract Activity.

The Department of Health and Social Care requires accurate data for all PATIENTS admitted, treated as out-patients or treated as  Urgent and Emergency Care Activity  by Health Care Providers, including PATIENTS receiving private treatment. The Commissioning Data Sets also includes NHS-funded PATIENTS treated electively in the independent sector and overseas.

Referral To Treatment Clock Stop Administrative Events  may also flow using the  CDS V6-2 Type 020 - Outpatient Commissioning Data Set  or CDS V6-3 Type 020 - Outpatient Commissioning Data Set. This allows the Secondary Uses Service to build accurate PATIENT PATHWAYS for the reporting of waiting time measurement.

CDS Types The Commissioning Data Sets  are 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 Urgent and Emergency Care Activity,  Care Professional Out-Patient Attendances, and Care Professional Admitted Care Episodes  for both CDS  version 6-2 and CDS  version 6-3.    CDS  version 6-2 also supports the submission of Future Out-Patient Attendances and Elective Admission List data.

Further Information

Further guidance material for submission of data to the Secondary Uses Service  can be found at: Secondary Uses Service (SUS Guidance).