DAPB4094: Healthcare Operational Data Flows: Acute Information Standard

The NHS faces a number of challenges with regards to managing patient flow and recovering elective waiting lists. Timely data to support these pressures is crucial.  

The Faster Data Flows Programme (FDF) has been introduced with the primary goal to implement an automated granular daily data collection, to support recovery and with this provide the NHS with a modern data architecture that enables timely, high-quality data to be used to support decision making.   

The FDF Programme has produced the Healthcare Operational Data Flows (HODF): Acute Data Set which provides the definitions for data to provide an automated patient-based daily data collection. The HODF: Acute Data Set will support NHS delivery plans for the recovery of elective care and emergency and urgent care in relation to recovering NHS waiting lists, care co-ordination, and the improvement of managing patient flows through the health and social care system.  

Under the Healthcare Operational Data Flows: Acute Information Standard providers are required to set up a daily data flow of patient level data via a secure upload method to the NHS England CSU Regional Processing Centre. This will be processed and pseudonymised to be flown into NHS England's Data Platform. 

This information standard is published under section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. An Information Standards Notice (see below) provides an overview of scope and implementation timescales, and the requirements specification provides further detail for those who have to implement the information standard.