Data checking

Data checking usually happens in 2 to 3 phases:

• an initial review to identify and report issues
• a recheck after the supplier resolves them

A third phase is only needed if further issues arise. This is uncommon in most migrations.

The people, teams or organisations who might be required in this stage of the migration are:

• IT lead
• practice manager
• practice staff
• clinical lead
• new clinical system supplier
• current clinical system supplier

Before continuing, ensure you have completed the following during Initial Data Production (IDP):

• patient records need to match test criteria from the new supplier
• book rooms for data checking activities

You should have a timeline and target dates for data checking. This will be from the initial planning your practice did to prepare for migration.  

Practices will need to plan between 3 to 5 days for each data checking phase. The rechecking phases should not take as long as the initial data checking.  

Block out time for dedicated staff to complete the data checking activity. Any delays in completing this phase will impact the go live date.  

The clinical lead is responsible for signing off the data checking phase. Other staff can be involved as necessary.

The new supplier will provide a complete list of data checking activities.

The majority of testing will focus on the patient records identified in the IDP, but it will also include some sample patient records. They will need to be matched to the criteria provided by the new suppliers. 

You will also be asked to check and compare reports such as: 

• Quality and Outcomes Framework (QoF) reports and indicator points 
• cytology 
• immunisation target reports 
• capitation figures 
• remapping of local codes

The new supplier should provide the practice with their process for reporting issues. This should be before, or at the start of, the initial data checking day. 

At the end of each data checking phase, the new supplier will review and address any issues. The time this takes varies depending on the complexity of the issues reported.  

The new supplier will tell the practice when they have fixed the issues. They will also specify whether data needs to be reloaded to the test system. 

The practice needs to repeat the data checking process to confirm that the fix is acceptable.

Once the recheck is complete, the practice will be asked to sign off on the accuracy and quality of the data. If any concerns or issues remain, they should request another round of data checking. 

The supplier should perform as many rounds as necessary to address all problems. This should be to the satisfaction of the practice and project lead. This is described in DMI15 of the Data Migration Standard.