This dimension covers, with respect to the statistics, their proximity between an estimate and the unknown true value.
Data are collected via the Clinical Audit Platform (CAP) and validated on submission. The validation rules are available in the ‘instruction and guidance notes’ found on the Assuring Transformation web page .
The system is set up such that:
· For each NHS number there can only be one open episode of care during the period.
· There can be multiple closed episodes of care for each NHS number within a period.
· The system is ‘live’ and commissioners are expected to update information in the system as and when changes occur in the care of a patient who falls within the scope of the collection.
· Currently NHS Digital analysts take a ‘snap shot’ of the system at the end of each month and use this to report on the position at the end of the month and admissions and discharges within the month.
Although patients can have more than one episode in a period due to short hospital stays, at the end of the reporting period there can only be one open episode per patient. However, due to the retrospective updates, it is possible for duplicates to occur for closed episodes. All duplicate records are removed from the dataset prior to producing the analyses.
CCGs and Hubs are expected to keep records up to date on an ongoing basis. There are two ways that NHS Digital can currently assess if a CCG/Hub has done this:
1. Has the CCG/Hub made any alterations to any of the records during the period? Or created any new records;
2. If no records have been altered (due to no change in patient circumstances) then has the CCG/Hub selected the ‘submission confirmation’ option to confirm that their data is correct for this period?
Note that in both scenarios above, it may be the Commissioning Support Unit(CSU) who has not updated the data. This report will highlight the number for those responsible for the patients (CCGs/Hubs) and not those responsible for submitting the data (CCGs/Hubs and CSUs).
Therefore, even though a number of organisations may not have updated their records during the month, NHS Digital will use the data currently held in the system and assume this to be accurate.