Fundamental Review of Data Returns - public consultation launched

30 August 2011: the Department of Health (DH) launched a consultation on the findings of the Fundamental Review of Data Returns. The Department invites interested parties to contribute to the consultation process.

The consultation and accompanying documents are available from Fundamental Review of Data Returns consultation page on the DH website.

The consultation is open for a 12 week period in accordance with the Government Code of Practice on Consultations. The deadline for responses is: 22 November 2011.

Background

The Government made a commitment in the white paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS to: "initiate a fundamental review of data returns, with the aim of culling returns of limited value. This will ensure that the NHS information revolution... is fuelled by data that are meaningful to patients and clinicians when making decisions about care, rather than by what has been collected historically."

Findings

The Fundamental Review produced a consolidated picture of the data returns commissioned by the Department and its Arm's Length Bodies (ALBs); resulting in a greater understanding of the complex data landscape across the whole system. The review identified a total of 305 data collections, of these, 197 were commissioned by the Department of Health and 108 by the Department's ALBs. The recommendations in this review, if all accepted through the consultation period, will result in 25% of returns being discontinued and a reduction in burden on the NHS of approximately £10m.

Next Steps

Responses to the consultation will be incorporated into a full Government response. This will lay out the finalised decisions on individual returns, and provide further detail on a second phase of work and a timeline for decommissioning returns.