Mental Health Minimum Dataset (MHMDS)
For information about MHMDS submissions follow the navigation links on the left. To view MHMDS statistics follow links on the right. To find out more about the MHMDS read the What, When and How sections below.
What is the MHMDS?
The Mental Health Minimum Dataset (MHMDS) is an approved NHS Information Standard that delivers robust, comprehensive, nationally consistent and comparable person-based information on people in contact with specialist secondary mental health services. It is unique in its coverage, because it covers not only services provided in hospitals, but also in outpatient clinics and in the community, where the majority of people in contact with these services are treated.
The MHMDS brings together key information from the mental health care pathway that has been captured on clinical systems as part of patient care. During processing this information is compiled into a single patient record. Mental health service users have different patterns of interaction with services and individual packages of care vary widely: all of this is captured in the MHMDS record. The MHMDS also carries data on Mental Health Clusters, the proposed currency for Payment by Results for mental health.
The MHMDS is mandated for central submission by the Department of Health and has ROCR approval ROCR/OR/0017/FT6/002MAND. Submission of data via the MHMDS is a requirement of NHS service contracts and has recently been extended to contracts with independent sector providers. Around 70 organisations currently submit MHMDS; mainly specialist mental health trusts as well as a, small number of independent sector providers.
Organisations make regular submissions of their completed MHMDS Intermediate Database to the Mental Health Bureau Service via N3 NHS private network.
Full details of the data included in the MHMDS submission and in the processed data can be found on the Specifications and guidance page.
How is the MHMDS used?
MHMDS supports a variety of secondary use functions such as:
- commissioning
- clinical audit
- research
- service planning
- inspection and regulation
- monitoring key government policies and legislation
- performance management and benchmarking at both local and national level
- national reporting and analysis.
The statistics produced from MHMDS (and listed on the right) are intended to be used by policy makers, commissioners, mental health service users, members of the public and any one who requires a comprehensive national picture of the use of specialist mental health services in England.
Statistics from MHMDS are also published at local authority level on the Neighbourhood Statistics website (external link) for anyone who needs to investigate the links between socio-economic factors and mental health.
What statistics are produced from MHMDS?
The following regular statistics are published by the NHS Information Centre:
Annual data, by NHS provider and commissioner.
Read the summary report which includes explanations and key findings.
Data used in the Department of Health's Service Performance Indicators for mental health trusts and other mental health activity plus organisation level data quality reports.
MHMDS reports
In October 2008 we published experimental statistics from MHMDS data for the first time.
Since then the annual Mental Health Bulletin has established itself as the most comprehensive report on NHS funded specialist mental health services for adults.
We also publish Data Quality Reports on key items in the MHMDS.
We welcome feedback on these reports.