Services supported by the SSD team

The Commissioning Dataset (CDS) Bureau Service is a hosted facility that provides centralised processing of trusts' commissioning datasets through to the Secondary Uses Service (SUS).

Data for the CDS is sent on a quarterly basis via a file created in a predetermined format. The file is processed for the appropriate quarter and is translated into extensible markup language for transfer to SUS.

The CDS Bureau Service also provides a service for re-forming and transmitting data files for those sites whose direct SUS output does not match the expected output formats and prerequisites.

Diabetes Audit is part of the Clinical Audit Support Unit (CASU) programme. It collects national, comparative, risk adjusted clinical audit data on diabetes. Because it integrates data from primary and secondary care sources, the Diabetes Audit is one of the largest and most comprehensive audits of its kind in the world.

Data is submitted via Open Exeter, or extracted using an automated process, before being validated and stored in a central database. Each submitted record is checked against the National Health Application and Infrastructure Service (NHAIS) system in order to validate the NHS number.

Regular extracts are provided to CASU throughout each audit to aid their analysis. A final extract of data is supplied to CASU at the end of the audit period.

The NHS Standard Contract is mandated by NHS England for use by commissioners for all contracts for healthcare services other than those in primary care. The most recent NHS Standard Contract is available for use by commissioners both in paper form and as an electronic document through the eContract system.

SSD provide application support, maintenance and hosting of the eContact Service.

The National Performers List (NPL) service is a list of approved GPs, opticians and dentists who satisfy a range of criteria necessary for working in the NHS.

Accessible via the internet, the NPL Service allows members of the public to check the registration status of performers. It provides prospective performers with guidance on the documents they willl need to apply for inclusion on the list, along with the relevant contact details for the Performer Adminstration team.

The Primary Care Mortality Database was commissioned by the Department of Health in response to Dame Janet Smith's Shipman Enquiry. It allows authorised users to access information regarding patient deaths, including:

• demographic details
• cause of death
• place of death
• certifying GP details
• coroner's details

The Primary Care Mortality Database is updated monthly using a file of death records from the Office of National Statistics.

The Primary Care Mortality Database is availalble 24/7 via the Open Exeter portal.

The Repeat Caller Service acts as an audit for the NHS 111 service. It monitors service users who have been processed through the NHS 111 Service three times or more in a 96 hour period.

SSD provide application support, maintenance and hosting.

Enquiries regarding the repeat caller service should be directed to the National Helpdesk Exeter. Email ssd.nationalservicedesk@nhs.net and phone 0300 303 5035.

The Secure File Transfer service (N3 only) service provides a facility for those who have access to NHS email addresses to securely transfer files up to 1Gb in size. 

The files are loaded over N3 via a web browser using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption, where they are stored in an encrypted database for a maximum of three days. During this three-day window the file can be downloaded by its intended recipient via their web browser, again using SSL encryption.

The contents of the files are automatically assumed to be sensitive and are inaccessible to Systems and Service Delivery. As a further precaution the files are automatically purged from database after three days.

Download the Secure File Transfer user guide

The Tracking Database is used by organisations throughout the NHS, its suppliers, by NHS England, the Department of Health and others.

The Tracking Database provides:

• performance management, allowing projects to monitored
• business process support
• programme support, including risk and issues management and contract change control
• inventory, which lists information about NHS organisations and suppliers
• reporting, providing a set of reports that relate to each of the functional areas described above

In addition, the system provides programme and project support to GP practices as well as day-to-day operational support.

Log in to the Tracking database (N3 only)

Visit the Tracking Database User Guide Library (N3 only)