Summary Hospital Mortality Indicator Dataset (SHMI)

Following the recommendations from the National Review of the Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio (HSMR), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) commissioned NHS Digital to produce and publish the SHMI. As part of the review, DHSC also commissioned independent statistical modelling work, which was carried out by the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) at the University of Sheffield.  

The SHMI is a complex indicator which was developed using widespread expert input. The SHMI specification is published, including a set of control limits generated using an alternative methodology, to enable trusts and users of the SHMI to understand the data further and produce their own analysis. The methodology is published in a fully transparent way to enable local replication, academic critique, and future development.   

In March 2017, the National Quality Board introduced new guidance for NHS trusts on how they should learn from the deaths of people in their care. As part of this, trusts are required to publish information on the total number of inpatient deaths and the number that were subject to case record review. Of those deaths reviewed, trusts are also required to provide an estimate of the number that were judged more likely than not to have been due to problems in care. This data is not collected centrally, and data should not be compared between trusts due to differences in the case record review methodologies.  

As of the July 2020 publication, COVID-19 activity has been excluded from the SHMI. The SHMI is not designed for this type of pandemic activity and the statistical modelling used to calculate the SHMI may not be as robust if such activity were included.  

For more information visit Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator (SHMI).

Direction  

To be confirmed.  

Legal basis for the collection of the data  

The Health and Social Care Act 2012 (HSCA 2012) section 254. 

Data Provision Notice  

To be confirmed.  

Legal basis for the provision of data  

The Health and Social Care Act 2012 (HSCA 2012) section 259. 

Legal basis for processing the data 

The UK GDPR Article 6 lawful basis for the processing of the personal data within this collection falls under: 

• Article 6(1)(e) processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller

The UK GDPR Article 9 condition for processing special categories of personal data within the collection falls under: 

• Article 9 2 (h) processing is necessary for the provision of health care or treatment, and for the management of health care systems or services

Transparency notice  

Read the Transparency Notice.

Lag time from collection to dissemination  

Contains 5 years’ worth of data, the latest year is part year, so the January data extract includes the previous 5 years, with the latest year being part year month 7.  

Frequency  

Monthly.  

Commissioning extracts specification  

Summary Hospital Mandatory Indicator Dataset (SHMIDS) specification.  

Suppression rules 

To be confirmed.