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Community Service Data Set (CSDS): GDPR information

Summary

Why and how we process your data in the Community Services Data Set (CSDS) and your rights.

Controller NHS England (in relation to processing the personal data) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) (in relation to determining the purpose for processing the data through the issuing of a Direction to NHS England).
How we use the information (processing activities)

The Community Services Data Set (CSDS) is a patient level, output based, secondary uses data set which delivers robust, comprehensive, nationally consistent and comparable person-centred information for people who are in contact with NHS-funded community services. As a secondary uses data set it intends to re-use clinical and operational data for purposes other than direct patient care. It defines the data items, definitions and associated value sets to be extracted or derived from local systems. 

The CSDS has been developed to help achieve better outcomes for children and young people and adults. The CSDS is designed to:

  • reduce local data flows between providers, commissioners and NHS England Data Services for Commissioners Regional Offices (DSCROs), thereby reducing local burden and duplication.
  • support the delivery of the outcomes of the NHS Long Term Plan and Implementation Framework.
  • provide national, comparable, standardised data about community services that are being delivered for both children and adults, giving the opportunity to measure organisations against others to identify if they are providing high quality care.
  • provide data to support organisational accountability, for example contributing to outcome measures and to an organisation’s quality accounts.
  • support more personalised and better organised care for patients through understanding what care is needed nationally. For example, by finding out how many patients who are discharged from hospitals subsequently need looking after at home through services in scope for CSDS. 
  • provide data that will be used to commission services in a way that improves health and reduces inequalities and supports service improvement and clinical quality.
  • provide a nationally consistent clinical record related to contact with community services for all such patients across England, which can be used to support national research projects.

This can be achieved by capturing:

  • detailed information about the patient (gender, ethnicity, age deprivation etc.)
  • associated risk factors such as whether they are on a child protection plan / other safeguarding indicators
  • their referral details to publicly funded community services
  • any information around care contacts and outcomes that have been achieved as a result of this activity.

The CSDS is an update to the CYPHS data set standard (Data Alliance Partnership Board (DAPB) 1069) so that the scope includes data for people of all ages in receipt of publicly funded community services. The CYPHS data set collected data for all patients aged 0 up until their 19th birthday.

The CSDS replaced the CYPHS data set in autumn 2017.

In October 2023 a Community Services Data Set – Community Pilot was introduced to pilot and test a granular daily flow of a subset of CSDS. This is intended to lead to improvements in the timeliness of data available to support system and local care planning, operational management and improving health and care outcomes for patients.
Does this contain sensitive (special category) data such as health information? Yes
Who are recipients of this data?

The data is available for external organisations to request via DARS.

All data sharing agreements implemented via DARS are published on the NHS England Data Uses Register.

CSDS data is shared with commissioning organisations where a formal Data Sharing Framework Contract is in place alongside a Data Sharing Agreement. Data Services for Commissioners Regional Offices (DSCROs) have permission to link data with other named datasets. This is managed through the Data Services for Commissioners.
Is data transferred outside the UK? Not for the purposes of processing it by NHS England. It may be transferred outside of the UK if this is approved by NHS England through the Data Access Request (DARS) process for any particular dissemination.
How long the data is kept NHS England will retain the data for a minimum of 6 years from the date that the information is no longer required, in line with the NHS England Records Management Policy and Retention and Disposal Schedule. The data retention period for external organisations with whom CSDS has been shared is specified in the respective data sharing agreements.
Our lawful basis for holding this data Legal obligation
Your rights
  • Tick Be informed
  • Tick Get access to it
  • Tick Rectify or change it
  • Cross Erase or remove it
  • Tick Restrict or stop processing it
  • Cross Move, copy or transfer it
  • Cross Object to it being processed or used
  • Cross Know if a decision was made by a computer rather than a person
How can you withdraw your consent?

NHS England will respect the national data opt-out where confidential patient information is to be disseminated for research or planning purposes. 

The national data opt-out will not apply to the flow of data from providers to NHS England as a Data Provision Notice has been issued on them, with which they are legally required to comply.
Is the data subject to decisions made solely by computers? (automated decision making) No
Where does this data come from? Health care providers providing publicly funded community health services in England.
The legal basis for collecting this data

NHS England's lawful basis for the collection of personal data is:

NHS England's lawful bases for the collection of special categories of personal data are:

  • UK GDPR Article 9(2)(g) – reasons of substantial public interest, supplemented by Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) Schedule 1, Part 2, Paragraph 6: Statutory etc and government purposes.
  • UK GDPR Article 9(2)(h) - management of health or social care systems and services, supplemented by DPA 2018 Schedule 1, Part 1, Paragraph 2(2)(f) – Health or social care purposes - the management of health care systems or services or social care systems or services.