Specifications and guidance

The key documents necessary for preparing data submissions are listed below.

Mental Health Minimum Dataset (MHMDS) v4.0 – ISB 0011, Amd 22/2011

The proposed changes to the Mental Health Minimum Dataset (MHMDS) have been approved by the Information Standards Board (ISB) and the Information Standards Notice (ISN) was published in April 2011. An uplift to the specification was published on 3 August 2011.

Why were the changes required?

The changes were required to meet the following policy and practice requirements:

  • Recommendations of the Mental Health Informatics Review and other key policy requirements
  • Changes to the existing MHMDS Intermediate Database (IDB) tables to address known data quality issues and ensure that the dataset reflects the care pathway

What changes were made?

Changes to the MHMDS include:

  • Use of the Mental Health Act (KP90)
  • CPA 7-day follow up
  • Refocusing the Care Programme Approach (CPA)
  • Incident Reporting (Count Me In Census)
  • Additional Outcome Measures
  • Monitoring Untreated Psychosis
  • Monitoring Crisis Plans
  • Splitting of Reviews table to reflect care pathway
  • Improved reporting by Staff and Team

These changes will be used to facilitate the consistent capture and submission of patient-level secondary uses information to support the national reporting and analysis of key requirements relating to NHS funded mental health services.

Dataset Documentation
Full details of the changes, including associated guidance can be found in the documents listed below:

*Note on the MHMDS Data Extract for Commissioners: An extract is automatically produced for commissioners and this is accessible via the Bureau Service Portal on Open Exeter. The structure, format and content of this extract is similar to the Provider Final Extract, but it does not include patient identifiable data items.

Further information for on extracts for commissioners

If you have any suggestions for improving the User Guidance or notice any errors please complete the Feedback Form and email it to mhmds@ic.nhs.uk.

Additional supporting information
Other additional documents of relevance can be found below:


Mental Health Minimum Dataset (MHMDS) v3.5 – ISN 41/2010

The proposed changes to the Mental Health Minimum Dataset (MHMDS) have been approved by the Information Standards Board (ISB) and the Information Standards Notice (ISN) was published in November 2010.

Why were the changes required?

The changes were required to meet the following policy and practice requirements:

  • Payment by Results (PbR) for mental health.

What changes were made?

The changes to the MHMDS included the addition of two new tables:

  • Mental Health Cluster Tool (MHCT)
  • Payment by Results (PbR) Cluster

These additional tables will be used to facilitate the capture and submission of patient level secondary uses information to support the development and national roll-out of Payment by Results for NHS funded mental health services.

Dataset Documentation
Full details of the changes, including associated guidance can be found in the documents listed below:

Additional supporting information
Other additional documents of relevance can be found below:


Mental Health Minimum Dataset (MHMDS) v3.0 – DSCN 06/2008

The proposed changes to the Mental Health Minimum Dataset (MHMDS) have been approved by the Information Standards Board (ISB) and the Information Standards Notice (ISN) was published in April 2008.

Why were the changes required?

The changes were required to meet the following policy and practice requirements:

  • Mental Health Act 2007
  • PSA Delivery Agreement 16 (Social Exclusion).

What changes were made?

Changes to the MHMDS include:

  • Reduce ambiguity in relation to several existing data items.
  • Include descriptions of the business rules used in the assembly of the data to create the output file.

These changes will affect all providers of adult mental health services in a secondary care setting, and specifically MHMDS leads and information departments. It will also be relevant to all suppliers of systems used in Mental Health services. Local capture of information to support the PSA Delivery

Dataset Documentation
Full details of the changes, including associated guidance can be found in the documents listed below:

Additional supporting information
Other additional documents of relevance can be found below:


Document archive

Documents which are out of date but which may be of interest: