Assuring Transformation (AT)

Official documentation relating to the data collection can be accessed on the SCCI Assuring Transformation web page. 

The collection uses a live data entry system with a cut of data taken at regular intervals. Data is published by NHS England monthly and quarterly, and published data is available.

This Clinical Audit Platform is a live data collection system and commissioners are expected to keep data up to date for all patients they commission. For reporting purposes, a cut of the data will be taken at midnight on the last day of every month (this is not dependant on working days), this data will be used by NHS England to produce monthly and quarterly reports. An additional cut is taken at midnight every Sunday; this data is used to produce weekly management information dashboards which are shared with NHS England and the regions.

There is no deadline for the submission of data for this collection. Commissioners are required to update records as soon as they are informed of changes to the patient's care plan.

The Department of Health published  Transforming Care: A national response to Winterbourne View Hospital and the Concordat: Programme of Action in December 2012. The review of services received indicated that failings were widespread within the operating organisation, but importantly, also evident across the wider care system. The Concordat and 63 actions detailed within the review seek to address poor and inappropriate care and achieve the best outcomes for people with a learning disability or autism, who may also have mental health needs or behaviour that challenges.

The purpose of this data collection is to ensure that the public awareness of the NHS commitments in the Winterbourne View Concordat is transparent and robust. It will also be used to triangulate with the Learning Disability Census, completed by providers on 30 September 2015. This process is important for informing and influencing The Winterbourne View Joint Improvement Programme.

The Assuring Transformation collection followed the Learning Disability Census. 

The collection will consider in-patients receiving treatment or care in a facility registered by the Care Quality Commission as a hospital operated by either an NHS or independent sector provider. The facility will provide mental or behavioural healthcare. Record level returns will reflect only in-patients or individuals on leave with a bed held vacant for them.

This should include patients of:

• any age
• any level of security (general/low/medium/high)
• any status under the Mental Health Act (informal or detained)

People not included:

• patients in accommodation not registered with the CQC as hospital beds
• patients in beds for physical health care
• patients who do not have either learning disabilities or autism

The guidance from NHS England's National Clinical Director for Learning Disability, regarding whether a patient should be included if they have a 'primary diagnosis of Learning Disability' only, is as follows:

'For our purpose whether or not a person is recorded as having a primary diagnosis of LD is not relevant, and should not be used as a criterion for inclusion in this data collection. If a person is in specialist hospital bed (either MH or LD) and that person has a Learning Disability or Autism, then that person should be included in the Assuring Transformation data return.'

For further information, contact [email protected].

The Learning Disability Census has collected data 3 times:

• 30 September 2015
• 30 September 2014
• 30 September 2013

Data is collected through the NHS England Clinical Audit Platform (CAP). Providers submit data to reflect the position on census day. Providers have a set period of time to submit their data for analysis before the platform closes.

More information on the background is available within our Learning Disability Census archive page.   

One commissioning organisation will need to take responsibility for the submission or assign a ‘lead’ commissioner and this should be established through discussion between the commissioners involved. Either organisation can make the submission. The submitter will need to obtain a Single Sign-on and Data Depot registration to do this. If necessary, we can send a registration invitation email, please contact us at [email protected].