SGSS and SARI Watch data

The data to be collected under this Notice relates to: 

• demographic and diagnostic information from laboratory test reports for patients tested for the suspected and confirmed causative agent for COVID-19, as recorded in the UKHSA Second Generation Surveillance System (SGSS)
• demographic, risk factor, treatment, and outcome information for patients admitted to hospital with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis, as recorded in the UKHSA Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) Watch system.

The SGSS and SARI Watch data are to be collected for the purposes of direct care, service monitoring, planning and research in response to the spread of COVID-19, including for the following purposes identified in the COVID-19 Directions:

• understanding information about patient access to health services and adult social care services as a direct or indirect result of COVID-19 and the availability and capacity of those services
• monitoring and managing the response to COVID-19 by health and social care bodies and the Government, including providing information to the public about COVID-19 and its effectiveness, and information about capacity, medicines, equipment, supplies, services and the workforce within the health services and adult social care services 
• research and planning in relation to COVID-19, such as providing COVID-19 diagnosis.

Note that SARI Watch replaced the COVID-19 Hospitalisation in England Surveillance System (CHESS) which was initiated across all NHS Trusts in England on 15 March 2020. SARI Watch replaced CHESS in summer 2020 and collects the same data items as CHESS but includes infections other than COVID-19. This Notice relates to COVID-19 data only.

This Notice is served on:

• United Kingdom Health Security Agency

A historic and thereafter daily feed of SGSS and SARI Watch is to be collected, with submissions via the NHS Digital Message Exchange for Social Care and Health (MESH).

The collection of both SGSS and SARI Watch data commenced in April 2020 and will continue until the expiry of the COVID-19 Directions or earlier if NHS Digital issues a notice to cease the collection.

17 June 2022: Version 1.3 of this Notice has been issued to update references to both PHE and CHESS to UKHSA and SARI Watch respectively. In addition the collection requirements of SGSS have been reduced, there is no further need for COVID-19 Group IDs for positive, negative and void tests.

27 April 2021: Version 1.2 of this Notice has been issued to note that where the information recorded in SGSS is for residents of the Devolved Administrations, dissemination can take place directly to the relevant Devolved Administration Public Health Agency.

20 October 2020: Version 1.1 of this Notice has been issued, reflecting changes to the SGSS component. As well as cosmetic changes, 2 items have been added to the Form of the collection:

• Test Identifier (e.g. barcode)
• Result of the Test (i.e. positive, negative, void).