Core- Demographics

Demographic details are required for every record in order to ensure that the correct patient can be identified, and information can be correctly linked.

The Demographics section should be completed by every Provider the first time a record is submitted.

There will only be one Demographics section completed for each record. Demographic linkage items will be required each time the record is submitted.

It is anticipated that some of the demographic data items listed below will be collected by every provider with which the patient has contact. Where this information is exchanged, the appropriate data item name should be used.

May be up to one occurrence per record (0..1).

Person Family Name

That part of a person's name which is used to describe family, clan, tribal group, or marital association.

Person Given Name

The forename(s) or given name(s) of a person.

Patient Usual Address (at Diagnosis)

The ‘Patient Usual Address’ of the patient at the time of ‘Patient Diagnosis’.

Postcode of Usual Address (at Diagnosis)

The ‘Postcode of Usual Address’ of the patient at the time of ‘Patient Diagnosis’.

Person Stated Gender Code

Person's gender as self-declared (or inferred by observation for those unable to declare their ‘Person Stated Gender’.

Person Sexual Orientation Code (at Diagnosis)

Person's sexual orientation as self-declared at the time of the ‘Patient Diagnosis’. This complies with the information standard DCB2094.

General Medical Practitioner (Specified)

This is the ‘PPD Code’ of the ‘General Medical Practitioner’ specified by the patient. The ‘General Medical Practitioner’ works within the ‘General Medical Practitioner Practice’ with which the patient is registered.

Default codes:

• G9999998 – General Medical Practitioner PPD Code not known
• G9999981 – General Medical Practitioner PPD Code not applicable

Note:

• this data item is not affected by the other changes to consultant codes throughout the data set

General Medical Practice (Patient Registration)

This is the code of the GP Practice that the patient is registered with.

Default codes:

• V81997 – No Registered GP Practice
• V81998 – GP Practice Code not applicable
• V81999 – GP Practice Code not known

Notes:

• ‘code’ has been removed from the name, on the request of the NHS Data Model and Dictionary Service
• the format of the data item has changed to ‘min an6 max an8’ to allow for any future changes to the national code structure

Person Family Name (at Birth)

The patient's surname at birth.

Ethnic Category

The ethnicity of a person, as specified by the person. The 16+1 ethnic data categories defined in the 2001 census is the national mandatory standard for the collection and analysis of ethnicity.

Note:

• the Office for National Statistics has developed a further breakdown of the group from that given, which may be used locally

Note:

• the default option for this item is 99 - Not known

Ethnic Category 2021

The addition of ETHNIC CATEGORY 2021, is to allow capture of expected new census values

There is a requirement to prepare COSD for recording ETHNIC CATEGORY 2021, the classification used in the 2021 census to record the ethnicity of a PERSON, as specified by the PERSON.

This change adds a (spare) field for ETHNIC CATEGORY 2021 in anticipation of introduction of a new value set, replacing the current ETHNIC CATEGORY data item (which uses 2001 census values). No enumeration is currently defined for this data item. The functionality to allow future landing of the new data in COSD can be 'activated' without a change to the data set through Data Alliance Partnership Board (DAPB).

Aims:

As this item forms part of the Unified Information Standard for Protected Characteristics (UISPC), which has not yet been approved by DAPB, the aim at this stage is to provide advance notice to data providers and system suppliers of the intention to report this item at a later date. This item should not be submitted until the wider NHS adopts ETHNIC CATEGORY 2021 and further development by NHS England has been undertaken.

Benefits:

Introducing this data item will future proof COSD allowing data to be submitted in conformance with the latest census values, as opposed to the now-outdated 2001 census values currently in use. The updated 2021 census values allow greater granularity through the introduction of new national codes, allowing the monitoring of health inequalities across more granular, low-level ethnic groups such as gypsies and travellers.

It will also reduce the burden resulting from the procedural requirements (such as a full interim standard release) that would otherwise be needed to update COSD to add this data item at a later stage.

To find out more about this new data item, please visit the NHS data dictionary website.