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  5. Right arrow icon Data provision notices (DPNs)

Data Provision Notices (DPNs)

We issue a Data Provision Notice each time we use our statutory power under Section 259(1) of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 (the Act).

When NHS Digital receives such a direction to collect information, we issue a Data Provision Notice to the appropriate providers of the required data. The Data Provision Notice provides details of the data collection including the purpose, benefits, how we intend to collect the information, form, manner, frequency and from which organisations. We also include any information governance, legal basis or burden* considerations.

*Burden is the inefficiency found in the systems and processes used to establish, run, and decommission a data collection.

Data Provision Notice procedure

In addition to publishing the Data Provision Notice, we seek to inform organisations who are within scope of the notice to provide data. Depending on the remit and method of data collection, organisations may need to take local action in order to comply with the Data Provision Notice for example for GP Collections, practices will need to accept an offer to participate in the collection via the Calculating Quality Reporting Service (CQRS).

NHS Digital may choose to exercise its powers under Section 259 of the Act to require and request the provision of information.

Data Provision Notice register

We also produce a register of Data Provision Notices which is updated every time a Data Provision Notice is issued or withdrawn.  

Withdrawn Data Provision Notices

A list of Data Provision Notices that have been withdrawn as a result of a data collection being retired, the DPN is no longer required, or the DPN has been superseded.  

Legal obligation

Organisations in scope of the notice are legally required under Section 259 (5) of the Act to provide the data set as specified by NHS Digital, in the published Data Provision Notice.

Further information

Read the Act, or the specific detail relating to Section 259.

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Adult social care data Data Provision Notice

The Department of Health and Social Care has provided a Direction to NHS Digital to establish and operate a pilot system for the collection and analysis of client-level adult social care data from certain local authorities to support local health and care systems by providing a holistic view of how services are used.

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Ambulance Systems Indicators (AmbSYS) Data Provision Notice

Ambulance Systems Indicators (AmbSYS) identify pressures in the urgent and emergency care system and provide early warning of areas where patient care may not meet requirements. Ambulance Systems Indicators (AmbSYS) together with the Ambulance Clinical Outcomes (AmbCO) forms the Ambulance Quality Indicators (AQI) monthly publication.

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Cancer Patient Tracking List (PTL) Data Provision Notice

The Cancer Patient Tracking List 2nd version data collection provides an indication of where there are possible problems with patients not being seen within the cancer 62-day standard. Commissioners and NHS Improvement use the data to support discussions to ensure compliance against the standard. Data is only published internally within the NHS.

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Dementia assessment and referral return Data Provision Notice

This data collection reports on the number and proportion of patients aged 75 and over admitted as an emergency for more than 72 hours in England who have been identified as potentially having dementia, having been appropriately assessed and referred on to specialist services.

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Dementia Data Provision Notice

Data Provision Notice for the collection of aggregated numbers of patients in England with a record of dementia diagnosis on their clinical record for General Practices in England.

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DM01: Monthly Diagnostics Waiting Times and Activity Data Provision Notice

The monthly diagnostics waiting times and activity diagnostics collection is the primary source for diagnostics waiting times and activity for 15 key diagnostics tests. It is used to measure performance against the operational standard, that less than 1% of patients should wait 6 weeks or more for a diagnostics test.

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Emergency Care Data Set (ECDS) Data Provision Notice

The Emergency Care Data Set (ECDS) is a new national data set for emergency care services. It will replace the current data set used to collect information from emergency departments across England. These changes are being made so NHS Digital can continue to provide information to support the care provided in emergency departments. The information available, currently, is limited and does not include many of the data items needed to understand capacity and demand or improve patient care.

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Friends and family test accident and emergency Data Provision Notice

The Family and Friends Test (FFT) aims to help improve patient experience in line with the Government's vision set out in the White Paper 'Equity and Excellence'. "FFT provides a simple, headline metric which, when combined with follow-up questions, can be used to drive cultural change and continuous improvement.

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Friends and family test ambulance Data Provision Notice

Providers of NHS funded ambulance and patient transport services have been required to make the opportunity to provide feedback through the FFT available to their patients since 1 April 2015 and submit data to NHS England each month.

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Friends and family test inpatient Data Provision Notice

Providers of NHS funded inpatient services have been required to make the opportunity to provide feedback through the friends and family test available to their patients since 1 April 2015 and submit data each month.

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Friends and family test maternity Data Provision Notice

Providers of NHS funded maternity services have been required to make the opportunity to provide feedback through the friends and family test available to their patients since 1 October 2013 and submit data each month.

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Friends and family test outpatient Data Provision Notice

Providers of NHS funded outpatient services have been required to make the opportunity to provide feedback through the friends and family test available to their patients since 1 April 2015 and submit data each month.

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GP workload tool Data Provision Notice

Read the Data Provision Notice for the GP workload tool. This includes the purpose, the benefits, the legal basis and the scope of the collection. It also contains background information.

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Junior doctors (rota notification for junior doctors in training) Data Provision Notice

This collection aims to collect information about when junior doctors in training receive notification of their rotas. NHS Improvement will use this data to work in collaboration with trusts to identify and resolve any problems with the notification process. The data will be shared as appropriate with relevant organisations involved with this workforce issue.

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Mental health services data set Data Provision Notice

The Mental Health Services data set is a patient level, output-based, secondary uses data set to deliver nationally consistent and comparable person-based information for children, young people and adults who are in contact with mental health, learning disabilities or autism spectrum disorder services.

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Mental Health Community Teams Activity Return (MHPrvCom)

The quarterly Mental Health Community Teams Activity Return (MHPrvCom) collection is used to collect data on the number of patients on Care Programme Approach (CPA) followed up within 7 days of discharge from psychiatric inpatient care, and the number of inpatient admissions gate kept by Crisis Resolution Home Treatment (CRHT) teams.

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National diabetes audit (core audit) Data Provision Notice

Data Provision Notice for National diabetes audit (core audit). The main national diabetes audit known as the core audit collects information from GP practices and specialist services to look at if people with diabetes are receiving their annual care checks and are achieving their treatment targets along with if they have been offered structured education.

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National wheelchair data collection Data Provision Notice

This collection aims to provide a national view of the wheelchair service by collecting information on the volume, expenditure, access to, and patient experience about wheelchair services to enable transparency and benchmarking. It aims to embed a culture of performance improvement and enable benchmark comparison of provider services.

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Nurse Staffing Fill Rate (NStf_Fil) Data Provision Notice

This data collection aims to monitor, at a ward level, the extent to which rota hours are being filled by registered nurses and midwives and unregistered care staff; and to monitor for acute trusts the care hours per patient day. Its key purpose is to gain re-assurance that wards are being safely staffed.

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Patient objections management revised Data Provision Notice

Data Provision Notice: patient objections management revised notice published 2017 to cover extension of collection. Collection of patient identifiable data on Type 2 patient objections and aggregated data on Type 1 and Type 2 patient level objections.

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Prevent Data Provision Notice

Data Provision Notice to show how NHS providers are delivering the Prevent duty. This data is collected from NHS trusts and foundation trusts in the Home Office priority areas.

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Quarterly Activity Return (QAR) Data Provision Notice

The Quarterly Activity Return (QAR) collection is the supplementary source of inpatient and outpatient (including referrals) activity data supporting the Monthly Activity Return (MAR) collection. It is used to monitor changes in activity levels and to inform NHS planning.

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Quarterly child immunisation v2 (ChildIM2) Data Provision Notice

The quarterly child immunisation v2 (ChildIM2)collection is an interim collection until the Children and Young People's Health Services (CYPHS) data set (being renamed the Community Services Data Set, CSDS) is able to report on childhood immunisations.

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Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Risk Assessment Data Provision Notice

This data collection aims to to review the numbers and proportion of adult hospital admissions aged 18 and over who are being risk assessed for Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) to allow for the administering of appropriate prophylaxis based on national guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).