NHS Standards Directory
This directory signposts to standards for the recording and communicating of data across the NHS and adult social care services in England.
About this service
The NHS Standards Directory was created by NHS England to provide a one-stop shop to enable users to find the standards that relate to them or their organisation.
The search feature allows users to easily find standards widely used in England, including those that are legally required. These include standards published under section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 as Information Standards Notices (ISNs).
Other types of standards that are not mandatory but are widely used in England can also be discovered.
The directory provides links to developing standards known as Future Standards, giving our users a heads-up when there are changes to an existing standard, or when a new standard is on the horizon.
Benefits
- signposts to standards hosted across various websites
- contains links to additional related and important information in a single place
- search and filter features to easily identify relevant standards
- find out about developing standards or changes to existing published standards
- the directory uses a core data model that describes standards and allows connections between other standard directories. If you want to use this model, learn more or work with us please email: [email protected]
Who this service is for
This service is recommended for anyone responsible for:
- implementing approved national information standards, collections, extractions and technical specifications in the NHS and adult social care sectors across England
- building or buying digital technologies for the NHS or adult social care services in England. This includes IT suppliers, healthcare providers and technology buyers such as procurement teams and framework operators
What information is available
The directory signposts to all standards that are legally required at a national level as well as some standards that are not mandatory but are widely in use in England.
These include:
- all approved national information standards, collections, extractions and technical specifications and NHS England's API and integration catalogue. These are assured by the Data Alliance Partnership Board and issued with an Information Standard Notice, meaning they are mandatory
- draft, local, national and international standards in use by the NHS and adult social care in England
- API standards published in NHS England's API and integration catalogue
- developing standards or changes to existing published standards
National usage policy
This is a recommended resource to find mandated and other standards.
How this service works
Use the NHS Standards Directory to discover nationally recognised, approved and future standards, for use in health and adult social care in England. The service provides clear summaries as well as useful resources and contact details to support their use.
The directory is a signposting service only.
Examples of use
- as an IT supplier of a hospital‘s electronic patient records system, I want to find standards applicable to hospital settings
- as a booking manager in an NHS trust, I want to check if there are information standards we are legally required to follow around scheduling of appointments
- as a chief information officer, I am looking for the latest maternity standards announced to be in development, so we can sign up to be an early adopter.
Status, service level and current usage
The NHS Standards Directory service is covered 9am - 5pm and is supported by the NHS England Texas team.
| Release date | Version | Release summary |
| July 31st 2022 |
(v1) |
Data.standards.nhs.uk launch following GDS beta assessment. |
| July 26th 2024 | (v2) | Relaunch as standards.nhs.uk with 200 new standards, double the detail from adopting a new data management system and accessibility improvements. |
Average monthly analytics, as follows:
- 200 average users monthly visit the website and view 1,500 webpages
- 56% of users successfully find a standard and go on to view its full externally held documentation, through the NHS Standards Directory website
Contact us
|
Enquiry |
Point of contact |
|---|---|
|
General enquiries about the service |
NHS England Standards and Interoperability mailbox Email: [email protected] |
| Raise a request for NHS Standards Directory | Email: NHS Standards Directory service desk |
|
Strategy and escalations |
If you have strategic questions about the service, contact the service owner, Bharat Sharma via: Email: [email protected] For escalations contact the senior responsible officer (SRO) Gill Foley via: Email: [email protected] |
Further information
We invite you to join the NHS England Standards and Interoperability workspace on the FutureNHS platform (a FutureNHS account is required, but it's free to join. If you don't already have an account, email us at [email protected] for assistance with onboarding). This workspace brings together a diverse group of stakeholders, creating a community hub for anyone interested in standards and interoperability to collaborate and share knowledge. By supporting the implementation of these standards across the NHS and care systems, we aim to strengthen collaboration with our partners, ultimately benefiting service users, patients, and citizens.
Last edited: 8 November 2024 12:08 pm