Part of Cancer waiting times user guide
Submitting data to CWT
Submitting test data in CWT
The Cancer Waiting Times system does not automatically exclude test data. As test data is not excluded from submissions, there is a risk that submissions involving test NHS Numbers will be included in submission statistics, especially if submitted for data within the last 6 months. It is therefore advised that you do not make test submissions within the CWT System.
Submitting data in bulk
The system will accept both XML files and CSV files (with the extension .csv or .txt).
To submit a file, click on Create Submission. This will take you to the file submission screen.
The submission page has a number of different features which are explained in this section.
Organisation
If you are associated with one organisation, this box will be pre-populated for you. If you are associated with multiple organisations, then you will need to select which organisation you are submitting on behalf of from the drop-down box.
Reporting period
The start and end dates for each reporting period are pre-set into the system, and these are controlled by the Data Collections team at NHS Digital who manage the National Data Integrations Tenant (NDIT) platform. If there is no open reporting period, you will not be able to submit data. There is additional information further on in this user guide on Preview, Download Individual Records and Reports.
CWT data set version
Select the currently live dataset version.
Occasionally, there may be two datasets running concurrently and available if a new dataset is being introduced.
More information about the data set can be found in the published Information Standards Notice. Look in the Requirement Specification document for the CSV file specification.
You will also find a link to the XML schema documentation that can be downloaded from the TRUD website. This new guidance on the validation rules will also help you.
Data file
Once you have selected the relevant options for the above fields, you will need to select a file to upload.
You can upload files with extension .csv, .txt or .xml. You can only select 1 file per submission.
Notes
This is the only optional field on this screen. Anything you enter in this field can be viewed against the relevant file in the submission detail page.
Create
Once you have completed all mandatory selections, use the Create button to submit your file.
The new records just submitted may not appear on the search results list straight away as after validation the record also goes through a derivation and a compliance calculation process.
The CWT system applies the compliance calculator logic so that the pathway allocation can be determined. The compliance logic is augmented to support the new dataset 2.1 and newly introduced common generic standards 28 days FDS, 31 Days and 62 Days.
Submit data to CWT : Submitting single records manually
To submit a record manually you need to use the Patient Search functionality.
Navigate to the Patient Search screen by clicking on Patient Search in the top toolbar or from the quick links on the home screen.
If the CWT system contains any existing records for the patient you have searched for, they will be displayed in the resulting list of records, but to create a new record for this patient you will need to click one of the Create New Record buttons.
If there are no existing records the create button will appear once the PDS check has been completed. This means that you currently can only create new records for NHS numbers that already exist in the system.
When creating a new record for NCWT, you will be able to submit the data items for IPT and FDS. You can submit a record and leave these fields blank but your record will also be subject to the new validation rules and checks against the other changes that come with the data set.
All the changes for the latest data set can be found in the Information Standards Notice.
Once you have searched for the NHS number you want to create a record for, you will be shown an entry form for the new record.
The system uses a date picker to enter dates into the system so that they are displayed in the correct format.
When you enter the data items which require a coded list, you can choose from a drop-down list to select the correct code. The code description we use is from the NHS Data Dictionary.
All the data items will need an organisation code, which is a free entry text box. The organisation codes entered are validated against the open organisation code list held by the ODS service.
You must use a valid ODS code that is open at the time of activity. For example, the site code used for the organisation identifier first seen should be an open site code on the first seen date.
The record will be updated even if the site code is a closed site code on the day the data is uploaded, as it was open at the time of the activity.
Once you have entered all the information, click on the create button. This will trigger the validation process.
The same rules that are applied to a file submission are applied to the manually entered record, but the validation error messages (if any) will appear on the entry screen with a banner at the top informing you that there are validation issues.
All validation error messages will appear in red underneath the field they relate to. You will not be able to submit a record manually until all validation issues are resolved. Unlike a file submission, you won’t be able to take the error messages away or leave the invalid record to come back to later. You will have to fix the errors or hit the cancel button.
When you submit a valid record, you will see a green banner confirming that the submission was successful and you will be returned to the Patient Search results screen.
The newly created record may not appear in the search results list straight away, as it also goes through derivation and compliance calculation after validation.
Refreshing the search by clicking the search button again should cause the new record to appear in the list.
Upon submission of patient data, the CWT system applies the compliance calculator logic to determine the pathway allocation.
Last edited: 10 November 2026 10:16 am