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Digital

Workforce Minimum Data Set (wMDS)

Summary

Why and how we process your data in the Workforce Minimum Data Set (wMDS) 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 issuing the Workforce Information Directions 2019 to NHS England)
How we use the information (processing activities)

The Workforce Information Architecture (WIA) (published by DHSC in May 2013) describes the need for workforce planning, education and training to be underpinned by accurate, comprehensive, complete and timely workforce information. 

The arrangements outlined in the WIA were designed to ensure that, with the appropriate governance agreements in place, the right workforce information was collected once and used many times. The WIA formalised arrangements that were in place in the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) before the review.

The WIA describes HSCIC’s (now NHS England’s) responsibilities as:

  • the principal repository for workforce information, responsible for securing data collection and data cleansing
  • the single central source and repository of published workforce information and source of all requests for workforce data
  • the lead on the continual drive to improve the quality of data
  • continue to provide support and aid the development of guidance to support the implementation of new workforce data standards
  • retain a strong role in the Workforce Information Review Group (WIRG)

In the WIA the Department of Health (DH) (now DHSC) conferred a number of activities on the HSCIC regarding the collection and analysis of workforce data. The scope includes the NHS workforce in hospital and community settings, primary care, as well as the independent sector, and includes full-time equivalent (FTE) and staff in post (SIP), earnings, absence and reasons for leaving. 

The data is collected from the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) used in most hospital trusts, general practices through the National Workforce Reporting Service (NWRS) and from some independent sector providers through the wMDS collection vehicle (wMDSCV). The data and associated processing broadly relate to an individual’s employment in the NHS, their occupation, their working hours, their earnings etc. This is used to inform policy on NHS workforce and workforce planning.

Data is extracted or collected, quality assured, analysed and published as Official Statistics. Data is supplied back to NHS trusts as part of data quality processes. GP workforce data is available for dissemination through the NHS England Data Access Request Service (DARS), with independent oversight provided by the Advisory Group for Data (AGD) where appropriate. A separate transparency notice has been published for the GP wMDS.
Does this contain sensitive (special category) data such as health information? Yes
Who are recipients of this data?

Data is supplied back to NHS trusts to support improved data quality.

GP workforce data is also made available for wider dissemination via the DARS.

Recipients may include, but are not limited to, NHS organisations, government bodies and research organisations. 

External Data Sharing Agreements are published on the Data Uses Register.
Is data transferred outside the UK? wMDS data is not transferred outside the UK for the purposes of NHS England's processing. GP workforce data may however be transferred outside of the UK where approved via the DARS governance process, with support from AGD where necessary.
How long the data is kept All interim data is deleted (manually), only the final set of data used for reporting is retained for reference and audit purposes. This data is retained for 8 years before it is reviewed for deletion in line with the NHS Records Management Code of Practice. GP workforce data shared via DARS will be retained by the recipient organisation(s) in line with the data retention period set out within the Data Sharing Agreement.
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?

Consent not the basis for processing
Is the data subject to decisions made solely by computers? (automated decision making) No
Where does this data come from? wMDS is collected from the ESR used in most hospital trusts, through the NWRS for NHS funded general practices in England and from some independent sector providers through the wMDSCV.
The legal basis for collecting this data

NHS England's lawful basis for processing (collecting and analysing) personal data is:

UK GDPR Article 6(1)(c) - legal obligation (Workforce Information Directions 2019)

NHS England's lawful basis for processing (collecting and analysing) special categories of personal data is:

UK GDPR Article 9(2)(h) - processing is necessary for the management of health or social care systems and services, supplemented by:

Data Protection Act 2018, Schedule 1, Part 1, Paragraph 2 – ‘Health or social care purposes’

Where we use this data