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Annex A

The specification: Requirements specification for Patient Level Information and Costing Systems (PLICS) early implementers collection for further services for the financial year 2021/22 data

Page contents

Section 1

Section 1: Data to be collected for in scope services from Acute, Mental Health, and Community providers (as per Section 2) (Collection to be undertaken in 2022) Costing Transformation Programme Data Extract Requirements

NHS Digital is being asked to collect information on four levels, which collectively form the extract requested by NHS England:

  • reconciliation tables
  • the message header
  • the activity details
  • the costing details

Message Header (per activity feedtype)

Field name Description 
Organisation Identifier (code of submitting organisation) Organisation identifier (Code of submitting organisation) is the organisation identifier of the organisation acting as the physical sender of a data set submission
Financial Year The financial reporting period
Reporting Period Start Date The start of the reporting period the extract covers
Reporting Period end Date The end of the reporting period the extract covers
Date and Time Data Set Created The date and time the extract was created
Costing Care Activity Type Code The data set the extract covers
Costing Submission Record Count The total number of activity records included in the monthly extract
Costing Care Monthly Extract Total Cost The total sum of the costs within the monthly extract

Activity information – Admitted patient care

Personal and demographic details

Field name Description 
Organisation identifier (Code of provider) Organisation identifier (Code of provider) is the Organisation identifier of the organisation acting as a health care provider.
PLICS extract matching identifier This is an attribute which will enable data linkage across all the activity feedtypes from one organisation
CDS unique identifier A commissioning data set data element providing a unique identity for the life-time of an episode carried in a commissioning data set message
NHS number The primary identifier of a person within the NHS in England and Wales
NHS number status indicator code Codes in this field indicate whether the patients' NHS number is present, and if it is verified. If the NHS number is absent, the indicator gives the reason why
Postcode of usual address Post code of usual address
Person birth date The date on which a person was born or is officially deemed to have been born
Person stated gender code Person stated gender code is self declared or inferred by observation for those unable to declare their person stated gender

Care activity details

Field name Description 
Patient pathway identifier The patient pathway identifier field together with the organisation identifier (patient pathway issuer), uniquely identifies a patient pathway
Organisation identifier (Patient pathway identifier issuer) The organisation identifier of the organisation issuing the patient pathway identifier
Point of delivery The type of admission or attendance for treatment
Hospital provider spell number A number to provide a unique identifier for each hospital provider spell for a health care provider
Episode number Field used to uniquely identify episodes and is the sequence number for each consultant episode within a hospital provider spell
Start date (Episode) The date episode started.

Use in CDS types: 120,130,140,170,180,190,200
End date (Episode) The date the episode ended.

Use in CDS types: 120,130,140,170,180,190,200
Episode type Field to indicate whether the episode completed within the financial year, or is still open at the end of the financial year
Activity treatment function code Treatment function code is a unique identifier for a treatment function.

Treatment function code is recorded to report the specialised service within which the patient is treated.

Has the same attributes as activity treatment function code
Cystic Fibrosis Banding1 Under the year-of-care currency model, each Cystic Fibrosis patient is allocated to one of seven bands, derived from clinical information including Cystic Fibrosis complications and medicine requirements. Each band describes an increasingly complex year of care
Renal site Location of renal dialysis delivery
Patient Specialist Rehabilitation Complexity Period Status Field to indicate whether the patient has been assigned an Specialist Rehabilitation Complexity Score
Patient Specialist Rehabilitation Complexity period start date The start date of the Patient rehabilitation assessment status
Patient Specialist Rehabilitation Complexity period end date The end date of the Patient rehabilitation assessment status
Specialist rehabilitation complexity score The RCS-E is scored by the patient’s multidisciplinary team (MDT) assessing complexity of rehabilitation needs that a patient presents, which considers basic care, specialist nursing, therapy and medical interventions and equipment.
Spinal cord injury category Category of spinal cord injury from the national spinal cord database
Part cost flag Where patient care is provided by resources supplied from two or more provider organisations without corresponding costs being recognised in the providers cost quantum who are responsible for the activity

Currency details

Field name Description 
Episode grouping The patient care group for the episode. This is a PLICS specific grouping
Finished consultant episode healthcare resource group Standard groupings of clinically similar treatments which use common levels of healthcare resource. This is derived from the reference cost HRG grouper for finished consultant episodes activity
Hospital provider spell healthcare resource group Standard groupings of clinically similar treatments which use common levels of healthcare resource. This is derived from the Reference cost HRG grouper for completed spell activity
Adjusted length of stay The total number of days within a consultant episode (hospital provider) adjusted to remove critical care days, rehabilitation days and specialist palliative care days.

The adjusted length of stay should be calculated using the national tariff payment system rules (i.e. count of midnights)

Activity Information – Non admitted patient care

Personal and demographic details

Field name  Description 
Organisation identifier (Code of provider) Organisation identifier (Code of provider) is the Organisation identifier of the organisation acting as a health care provider
PLICS extract matching identifier This is an attribute which will enable data linkage across all the activity feedtypes from one organisation
CDS unique identifier A commissioning data set data element providing a unique identity for the life-time of an episode carried in a commissioning data set message
MSDS Care Contact Identifier

The CARE CONTACT IDENTIFIER is used to uniquely identify the CARE CONTACT within the Health Care Provider.

It would normally be automatically generated by the local system upon recording a new Care Contact, although could be manually assigned
NHS number The primary identifier of a person within the NHS in England and Wales
NHS number status indicator code Codes in this field indicate whether the patients' NHS number is present, and if it is verified. If the NHS number is absent, the indicator gives the reason why
Postcode of usual address Post code of usual address
Person birth date The date on which a person was born or is officially deemed to have been born
Person stated gender code Person stated gender code is self declared or inferred by observation for those unable to declare their person stated gender

Care activity details

Field name Description 
Patient pathway identifier The patient pathway identifier field together with the organisation identifier (patient pathway issuer), uniquely identifies a patient pathway
Organisation identifier (Patient pathway identifier issuer) The organisation identifier of the organisation issuing the patient pathway identifier
Point of delivery The type of admission or attendance for treatment.
Attendance identifier A sequential number or time of day, assigned locally, that is unique to only one activity for a patient within an organisation. As this field is often locally generated, the data in this field are not currently unique within a dataset. However, as the NHS moves towards central systems this should change
Appointment date The appointment date for an appointment
Appointment time The appointment time for an appointment
Activity treatment function code Treatment function code is a unique identifier for a treatment function.

Treatment function code is recorded to report the specialised service within which the patient is treated.

Has the same attributes as activity treatment function code
Cystic Fibrosis Banding2 Under the year-of-care currency model, each Cystic Fibrosis patient is allocated to one of seven bands, derived from clinical information including Cystic Fibrosis complications and medicine requirements. Each band describes an increasingly complex year of care
Wheelchair Activity Type The type of activity with the wheelchair service. This is a PLICS specific activity type
Maternity Contact Type The type of activity within the maternity service. This is a PLICS specific activity type
Part cost flag Where patient care is provided by resources supplied from two or more provider organisations without corresponding costs being recognised in the providers cost quantum who are responsible for the activity

 

Currency details

Field name Description 
Healthcare resource group Standard groupings of clinically similar treatments which use common levels of healthcare resource. This is derived from the Reference cost HRG grouper for outpatient attendance activity

Activity information – Supplementary information

Personal and demographic details

Field name Description 
Organisation identifier (Code of provider) Organisation identifier (Code of provider) is the Organisation identifier of the organisation acting as a health care provider
PLICS extract matching identifier This is an attribute which will enable data linkage across all the activity feedtypes from one organisation

Care activity details

Field name Description 
Unbundled care activity date The date on which the unbundled care activity occurs.

Currency details

Field name Description 
Unbundled currency scheme in Use Type of currency that applies for the unbundled activity
Unbundled currency The currency code from the Unbundled Currency Scheme in Use that applies to the Supplementary Information unbundled care activity

Activity information – Community services care contacts

Personal and demographic details 

Field name Description 
Organisation identifier (Code of provider) Organisation identifier (Code of provider) is the Organisation identifier of the organisation acting as a health care provider
PLICS extract matching identifier This is an attribute which will enable data linkage across all the activity feedtypes from one organisation
NHS number The primary identifier of a person within the NHS in England and Wales
NHS number status indicator code Codes in this field indicate whether the patients' NHS number is present, and if it is verified. If the NHS number is absent, the indicator gives the reason why
Person birth date The date on which a PERSON was born or is officially deemed to have been born
Person stated gender code Person stated gender code is self declared or inferred by observation for those unable to declare their person stated gender

Care activity details

Field name Description 
Service request identifier

The unique identifier for a SERVICE REQUEST.

 

It would normally be automatically generated by the local system upon recording a new Referral, although could be manually assigned
Care contact identifier The CARE CONTACT IDENTIFIER is used to uniquely identify the CARE CONTACT within the Health Care Provider.

It would normally be automatically generated by the local system upon recording a new Care Contact, although could be manually assigned
Care contact date The date on which a Care Contact took place, or, if cancelled, was scheduled to take place. This should be recorded in the eGIF Date format CCYY-MM-DD
Clinical contact duration of care contact The total duration of the direct clinical contact at CARE CONTACT in minutes, excluding any administration time prior to or after the CARE CONTACT and the CARE PROFESSIONAL's travelling time to the CARE CONTACT.

CLINICAL CONTACT DURATION OF CARE CONTACT includes the time spent on the different CARE ACTIVITIES that may be performed in a single CARE CONTACT. The duration of each CARE ACTIVITY is recorded in CLINICAL CONTACT DURATION OF CARE ACTIVITY.

This should be recorded in minutes
Service or team type referred to (Community care) The type of community service or team that the patient has been referred into
Care contact subject The person who was the subject of the care contact
Consultation type The type of consultation between the CARE PROFESSIONAL and the PATIENT
Consultation medium used

Identifies the communication mechanism used to relay information between the CARE PROFESSIONAL and the PERSON who is the subject of the consultation, during a CARE ACTIVITY

The consultation should directly support diagnosis and care planning and must replace a face to face Out-Patient Attendance Consultant, Clinic Attendance Nurse or Clinic Attendance Midwife, types of CARE ACTIVITY

Telephone contacts solely for informing PATIENTS of results are excluded
Activity location type code The type of physical location where patients are seen or where services are provided or from which requests for services are sent
Maternity Contact Type The type of activity within the maternity service. This is a PLICS specific activity type
Group therapy indicator

An indicator of whether a care activity was delivered as group therapy.

Group therapy is a session where more than one patient attends at the same time, to see one or more care professionals. Clinical notes are recorded in each individual patient's case notes

Currency details

Field name Description 
Community Health Services PLICS Currency A grouping of clinically similar Community Health Services care activities which use similar levels of resource. This is a national cost collection specific currency

Activity Information – Non patient level Aggregated Costs

Personal and demographic details

Field name Description
Organisation identifier (Code of provider) Organisation identifier (Code of provider) is the Organisation identifier of the organisation acting as a health care provider

Care activity details

Field name  Description 
Point of delivery The type of admission or attendance for treatment
Activity treatment function code

Treatment function code is a unique identifier for a treatment function

Treatment function code is recorded to report the specialised service within which the patient is treated

Has the same attributes as activity treatment function code
Part cost flag  Where patient care is provided by resources supplied from two or more provider organisations without corresponding costs being recognised in the providers cost quantum who are responsible for the activity

 

Currency details

Field name Description 
Aggregated Currency Scheme In Use Type of currency that applies for the aggregated activity
Aggregated Currency The currency code from the aggregated currency scheme In use

Activity to be submitted in 2022

The collection includes the following services:

  • community midwifery – all non-admitted patient care for health visiting, parentcraft and community midwifery should be submitted in either the NAPC or CSCC feed type dependant on where the activity data is required to flow to NHS Digital3
  • inpatient chemotherapy – all admitted patient care for chemotherapy delivery should be submitted on APC feed type without the cost of the chemotherapy drugs, monoclonal antibodies, supportive drugs and hormone antagonist therapy drugs (for cancer patients) where the admission was purely for Chemotherapy
  • outpatient chemotherapy – all outpatient appointments for chemotherapy delivery should be submitted on the NAPC feed type without the cost of the chemotherapy drugs, monoclonal antibodies, supportive drugs and hormone antagonist therapy drugs (for cancer patients)
  • chemotherapy drugs and other chemotherapy items – all products delivered in the practice of chemotherapy should be submitted using the SI feed type
  • outpatient radiotherapy – all non-admitted patient care for the delivery of radiotherapy should submitted on the NAPC feed type4
  • renal dialysis – discrete renal dialysis should be submitted on APC feed type using the unbundled HRG only. Non-discrete renal dialysis should be submitted as an additional line to the core HRG on the APC feed type.
  • inpatient specialist and non-specialist rehabilitation – Inpatient episodes should flow under the unbundled rehabilitation HRG on the APC feed type. Non-discrete rehabilitation should be reported as a component of the core HRG on the APC feed type.
  • outpatient specialist and non-specialist rehabilitation – outpatient rehabilitation should be submitted under the unbundled specialist rehabilitation HRG on the NAPC feed type community rehabilitation - all non-admitted patient care for community rehabilitation should be submitted in either the NAPC or CSCC feed type only dependant on where the data flows to NHS Digital5
  • inpatient specialist palliative care – inpatient (ordinary elective or non-elective admissions, day cases and regular day or night admissions) should be submitted on the APC feed type, using the unbundled SPC HRGs
  • Outpatient specialist palliative care - outpatients, including day care, should be submitted on the NAPC feed type
  • community palliative care - all non-admitted patient care for community palliative care should be submitted in either the NAPC or CSCC feed type only dependant on where the data flows to NHS Digital6
  • direct access services (diagnostics, X Ray and pathology) should be submitted per completed test on the AGG feed type
  • unmatched support services costs for radiology and pathology should be submitted per completed test on the AGG feed type
  • unmatched high cost drugs, blood and devices should be submitted on the AGG feed type
  • legally restricted / sensitive high-cost drugs and blood products should be separated from the composite cost of the HRG and should be submitted on the AGG feed type
  • legally restricted / sensitive clinical events including HIV, reproductive medicine and gender reassignment should be submitted on the AGG feed type
  1. = started and ended in reporting financial year (ended)
  2. = started in previous financial year but not ended in reporting financial year (open)

Admitted patient care and non admitted patient care

The collection year begins on 1 April 2021 and ends on 31 March 2022. All episodes, attendances and contacts completed within the collection year must be costed and submitted.

All episodes including incomplete are to be costed and submitted as per Figure 1 below.

There are 4 episode types:

1 = Started in previous financial year and ended in reporting financial year (ended)

2 = Started but not ended during reporting financial year (open)

3 = Started and ended in reporting financial year (ended)

4 = Started in previous financial year but not ended in reporting financial year (open)

episode types

Supplementary information

The collection year begins on 1 April 2021 and ends on 31 March 2022. All Chemotherapy drugs, monoclonal antibodies and supportive drugs and Hormone antagonist therapy drugs (for cancer patients) issued within the collection year must be costed and submitted. 

Community services care contacts

The collection year begins on 1 April 2021 and ends on 31 March 2022. All community services care contacts completed within the collection year, are in scope of this collection as per Figure 5.

Scope of community services care contacts collected

scope of community services care contacts collected

The following services are out of scope of the collection:

  • high cost drugs, high cost blood, high cost devices and unbundled imaging where patient level detail is in scope of the 2022 NCC.
  • admitted patient care (including critical care) where the episodic patient level detail is in scope of the 2022 NCC
  • non admitted patient care and emergency department care where the attendance patient level detail is in scope of the 2022 NCC
  • all mental health spells and contacts
  • legally restricted / sensitive data where the secondary diagnosis or procedure for the clinical event would result in the cost being recorded in the National Cost Collection Workbook.
  • audiology including direct access
  • NHS continuing healthcare and NHS-funded nursing care
  • reablement services
  • intermediate care delivered to patients aged under 18
  • private, overseas non-reciprocal and non-NHS England patients (Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland)
  • fid not attends (DNA) and cancelled contact7
  • contracted-out services
  • ambulance services
  • services with no patient-level activity captured (eg research and development, social worker employed for council-funded work)
  • services covered solely by primary care contracts (General Medical Services (GMS), Personal Medical Services (PMS), Personal Dental Services (PDS), Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS) and Specialist Medical Provider Services (SPMS))
  • other primary care services that are not considered community services including general dental services, general ophthalmology services and pharmacy services
  • social care and specialist community services where separate data flows exist, eg community mental health flowing to the Mental Health Services Data Set
  • prison or secure facility-based health services (however, community-based services visiting a prison or secure facility to deliver healthcare are in scope)

Costing information (admitted patient care, non admitted patient care, supplementary information, community services care contacts activity feedtypes)

Field name Description
Patient Level Costing Collection Activity Identifier Unique identifier to report activities, which are measurable amount of work performed using resources to deliver elements of patient care. Patient activity can be recorded and reported through various feeder systems
Patient Level Costing Collection Activity Count The number or duration of activities undertaken, for example number of tests or duration in theatre
Patient Level Costing Collection Resource Identifier Unique identifier to report resources, which are components used to deliver activities, such as staffing, supplies, systems and facilities
Patient Level Costing Collection Total Cost The unit cost for each resource and activity combination reported in the service, patient facing, and support costs should be reported separately

Costing information (Non Patient Level Aggregated Costs activity feedtype)

Field name Description
Total Aggregate Volume (Activity) This is the total number of activity units completed of the currency being submitted
Total Aggregate Cost This is the total cost for activity units undertaken in that currency

Section 2: Providers

Trust ODS code Trust name
R1H BARTS HEALTH NHS TRUST
RA9 TORBAY AND SOUTH DEVON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RAL ROYAL FREE LONDON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RAS THE HILLINGDON HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RBN ST HELENS AND KNOWSLEY TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS TRUST
REF ROYAL CORNWALL HOSPITALS NHS TRUST
REN THE CLATTERBRIDGE CANCER CENTRE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RH5 SOMERSET NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RHQ SHEFFIELD TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RHU PORTSMOUTH HOSPITALS UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RHW ROYAL BERKSHIRE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RJ1 GUY'S AND ST THOMAS' NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RJC SOUTH WARWICKSHIRE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RK9 UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS PLYMOUTH NHS TRUST
RM1 NORFOLK AND NORWICH UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RN3 GREAT WESTERN HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RNN NORTH CUMBRIA INTEGRATED CARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RP4 GREAT ORMOND STREET HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RPY THE ROYAL MARSDEN NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RQ3 BIRMINGHAM WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN'S NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RQX HOMERTON HEALTHCARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RRK UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS BIRMINGHAM NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RTE GLOUCESTERSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RTH OXFORD UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RVJ NORTH BRISTOL NHS TRUST
RWD UNITED LINCOLNSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS TRUST
RX1 NOTTINGHAM UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUST
RXC EAST SUSSEX HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST
RXN LANCASHIRE TEACHING HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RXQ BUCKINGHAMSHIRE HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST
RXR EAST LANCASHIRE HOSPITALS NHS TRUST
RXX SURREY AND BORDERS PARTNERSHIP NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RY3 NORFOLK COMMUNITY HEALTH AND CARE NHS TRUST
RWF MAIDSTONE AND TUNBRIDGE WELLS NHS TRUST
RAJ MID AND SOUTH ESSEX (FORMERLY BASILDON AND THURROCK UNIVERSITY) HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RKB UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE NHS TRUST
REP LIVERPOOL WOMEN'S NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
RWE UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF LEICESTER NHS TRUST
Footnotes

1. Data Item not in use for this collection

2. Data Item not in use for this collection

3. Commissioning Data Set (CDS), Community Services Data Set (CSDS) or Maternity Services Data Set (MSDS)

4. Inpatient radiotherapy is out of scope for this pilot collection

5. Commissioning Data Set (CDS) or Community Services Data Set (CSDS)

6. Commissioning Data Set (CDS) or Community Services Data Set (CSDS)

7. Missed appointments (did not attends – DNAs) or cancelled appointments should not be recorded, and their cost should be treated as an overhead

Annex A

Last edited: 7 December 2022 12:05 pm