Registering to submit a data set

This guide is intended to help you complete the appropriate Data User Certificate (DUC) form for the data set you want to submit to SDCS Cloud. It provides guidance on:

• completing a DUC form
• submitting a DUC form
• validating a DUC form

If you have any questions about guidance or functionality, or are experiencing any operational issues, such as problems with system access, please contact our National Service Desk on 0300 303 5035 or via email at [email protected].

For general enquiries, such as questions about Data Sharing Agreements (DSAs) or other data-related issues, please email our Contact Centre at [email protected].

Before submitting to SDCS Cloud you must complete a DUC form for the data set you want to submit.

Before completing a DUC form you must have the following in place:

• Organisation Data Service (ODS) code

Any organisation wishing to submit data must have an ODS code. Details on how to how to obtain an ODS code can be found on the Organisation Code Request form

• Information Governance (IG) Management Lead

The submitting organisation must have either a Caldicott Guardian, Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO) or Information Asset Owner (IAO) registered with the ODS. Details on how to register can be found in the Access Forms and Register Information section of the Organisation Data Service webpage. 

Once you have an ODS code and IG Management Lead registered with ODS, a DUC form, for the data set you want to submit, must be completed and sent to NHS Digital.

You can access the DUC forms from the Data User Certificate (DUC) Forms webpage.

When completing a DUC form you will need to:

• Complete a separate form for each data set you want to submit.
• Add details of the users who will be submitting data. More users can be added later by completing a new form.
• Add details of the submitting organisation, including the ODS code and IG Management Lead, as held by ODS.
• Add contact details, including email addresses and telephone numbers. Your account will be linked to the email you provide. If you have several email addresses, please provide the one most appropriate for your organisation and role.
   

NHS Digital will use your contact details to set up your account and help support you by:

• keeping you informed about announcements and incidents relating to the named data set
• keeping you updated on important information, such as submission windows
• handling user queries and service requests

NHS Digital regularly checks if users still require access to their SDCS Cloud account(s) and that the registered email address is still valid. 

There are two options for submitting a DUC form:

• IG Management Lead sends DUC form

Completed DUC forms should be sent to [email protected]. The form must be submitted by the IG Management Lead who is registered for the provider organisation, as held by ODS. If you are unsure who this is or the email address registered for them on ODS, please see the Organisation Data Service webpage which holds the SIRO, IAO and Caldicott Guardian registers. 

• Submitting a DUC form with IG Management Lead Confirmation 

Alternatively, a supporting email from the IG Management Lead can be sent with the completed DUC form to [email protected]. If the DUC form is not submitted by the correct IG Management Lead or does not contain the correct details, this may result in delays to the form being processed. 

Once you have submitted the form, NHS Digital will perform validation checks to ensure:

• the ODS code is valid and open
• the IG Management Lead details (name and email address) match those held in the ODS register
• the IG Management Lead, as listed in the DUC form and the ODS, has approved the request or provided email confirmation of their support

If there are any issues or missing information, NHS Digital will contact you to resolve the issue.  Monthly reminders will be sent to resolve any remaining issues.

Once the DUC form has been processed and your user account(s) has been set up, NHS Digital will contact you with a username and password for your SDCS Cloud account.

You will then need to set up your two-factor authentication and log into SDCS Cloud to activate your account. See Activating and managing your SDCS account for details.