Independent Sector Information Programme
This programme aims to:
- Achieve high quality independent sector information to NHS standards for NHS funded patients
- Agree strategic plans and initiate actions to align information across NHS and private sector to facilitate integration and comparable assessment
With the independent sector providing an increasing proportion of NHS care, The NHS IC aims to ensure high quality data for all NHS-funded care by including private sector providers within its stakeholder and reference groups. We will also extend our support and guidance to private sector providers and produce data quality assessments for the sector. In addition, we will work with key agencies; the Healthcare Commission; Department of Health; NHS Connecting for Health; and the independent sector to agree and implement a strategy for aligning information across the NHS and private sector in order to enable comparable assessments to be carried out.
The initial phase will focus on the acute or secondary healthcare sector, followed by mental health.
Areas of work
This programme will be delivered through five work streams:
(For NHS funded care)
- Support and guidance to the independent sector: the data they are required to provide
- Data quality assessment reports
(Across both private and NHS funded care)
- Joint Agency Working Group (JAWG) to align and improve data, indicators and information across the sectors and reduce duplication
- Independent sector inclusion
- Translation of independent sector data
Expected outcome of this project
- Moving towards a common set of information standards, collections, and indicators, will make possible
- The comparison of independent sector and NHS providers on the same basis, ensuring a level playing field.
Who will benefit?
Patients, doctors, commissioners and many others will have access to comparable information to
- enable choice
- ensure quality
- assure value for money
Public health professionals will be able to consider the whole of their population, including those treated in the private sector.
Case Study
Independent report measures data quality of independent sector providers
"this data quality report produced by The NHS Information Centre provides essential evidence that helps us measure and improve data quality. The process for submission is complex and feed back from the end recipient helps to identify and target areas for further improvement. We are fully committed to working with all NHS bodies to improve the quality of all performance related data and welcome the timely collation of further reports"
James Greenman, Group IT Director Care UK