PCN appointments data dashboard user guide

The PCN appointments data dashboard provides information about scheduled activity and usage of GP appointments at the practice-level within a PCN. The aim of the dashboard is to inform users about activity in their own PCN and the impact of seasonal pressures for management information. Users can only see information from their own PCN. 

Data is collected from GP systems, which are designed for practices to use in everyday work and not for the purpose of data analysis. There are currently no national standards for data entry about activity, meaning there are variations in data quality between practices. 

This dashboard will give PCNs greater visibility of their own data and provide a mechanism for PCNs to flag any data quality issues and feedback improvements to practices in their area.

NHS Digital have been working with NHS England and Improvement to improve the quality of general practice appointment data, so that it fairly represents the appointment activity which is carried out in England. 

Variation in appointment management and how IT systems are used means that the current data collection has several limitations, potentially giving an inaccurate picture of overall activity in general practice. 

We are committed to working with the profession to improve the utility of the data and ensure continual refinements that benefit both individual practices and the wider service planning agenda.

The GPAD collection is the primary data source for the information produced in this dashboard. Data is collected from GP systems from participating practices with 98% coverage in England (as of December 2020). These include practices using EMIS, TPP, EVA (Microtest), Informatica and Cegedem (Vision) supplier systems.

Dashboard data is updated on a weekly basis every Thursday. The dashboard provides an overview of appointments at PCN level and practice level. It includes measures such as the total number of appointments, appointment status, the mode of delivery (e.g. face-to-face, telephone), the healthcare professional carrying them out (GP, Other Practice Staff and Unknown) and the time between booking and appointment.

The data presented only contains information which was captured on the GP practice systems. PCN activity is measured as the sum of all practice activity recorded on GP IT systems in that PCN. This limits the activity reported on and does not represent all work happening within a primary care setting or assess the complexity of activity.

The outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has led to unprecedented changes in the business processes within General Practices and subsequently the GP appointments data within this publication. The variation in approach to appointment management between practices is likely to be greater than usual during the Coronavirus outbreak and as a result data quality will be impacted.

No patient identifiable information has been collected or is included in this release. Find out more about the data collection.