Mandating mortality data updates onto the Personal Demographics Service

The purpose of this Data Provision Notice is not to collect new information.

It is to mandate the updating of death notifications onto the Personal Demographics Service (PDS) within one working day and to provide mandatory protocols for the reporting of death notifications to ensure consistency across the NHS. 

This is in response to a direction from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care for NHS Digital to investigate and implement ways in which to improve the quality, accuracy and timeliness of death notifications.

This Notice is served on:

• all health and care organisations, in particular:
  • GP Practices
  • NHS Acute Trusts.

GP Practices and Acute Trusts are required to conform to this Notice by no later than 10 January 2022. From this date, death notifications must be reported on to PDS within one working day of the death occurring.