Organisational considerations

CDS authentication prevents data senders from overwriting other organisations data. Only organisations authorised to send another provider’s data can submit that data to SUS.

To comply with CDS authentication, each CDS SENDER IDENTITY (5-character ODS code) must be associated with only one CDS INTERCHANGE SENDER IDENTITY.  The CDS INTERCHANGE SENDER IDENTITY is a 10-character EDIFACT ID (EDI address) with a 5- character ‘local tail’ making a total of 15 characters. A new organisation can obtain a unique 10-character EDIFACT ID from the NHS address registration service.

Where different sites within an organisation wish to submit data to SUS, the CDS SENDER IDENTITY must be the full 5- character site code to ensure each site has a different code.  A separate EDI address must be set up against each CDS SENDER IDENTITY for each site by completing a CDS sender registration form SR1 form and sending this to NSD.

Alternatively, where an organisation with multiple sites chooses to send data from one site, each CDS SENDER IDENTITY may be registered with the same EDI address.

A provider cannot submit data from different EDI addresses using the same CDS SENDER IDENTITY  and must not send separate submissions for each site using only its 3-character organisation code.  To send data from different sites in separate submissions senders must use 5-character site codes as CDS sender identities and have been issued different EDI addresses for each site by the national service desk.

Example 3-character organisation code:

• RRX

Example 5-character organisation code:

• RRX01

Where an NHS trust commissions activity from an independent provider, it is the responsibility of the NHS Trust to ensure that the associated CDS data is sent.

Where an NHS trust commissions activity from an overseas provider it is the responsibility of the NHS Trust to ensure that the associated CDS data is sent, except where a lead commissioner is involved, in which case the lead commissioner is the responsible party.

Organisations about to undergo a merger, separation from an organisation (de- merger) or system change should review the ‘Merging Organisations’ chapter of Submitting CDS Data to SUS (available on the SUS Guidance webpage) and inform NSD using the SUS Sender Registration Form (SR1).  The guidance contains information on how PAS records for patients in hospital at the time of a merger should be handled and the use of EDI address with CDS SENDER IDENTITY.

Some providers sub-contract healthcare and delegate the associated CDS submission(s) to another care provider. Arrangements to exchange this data must be made locally. There is no provision for exchange of data or reallocation of activity between providers in SUS.

Senders wishing to submit data on behalf of a different provider must complete an SR1 (sender registration) form and return it to the national service desk.

If a second provider wishes to add more records to those already submitted for the first, they can submit them with their own data and identify these records by using the provider site code of the first provider.

If a completely separate submission is preferred for this data, they must use a different value of the CDS SENDER IDENTITY in the header to that used by either themselves or the first provider.  This may involve changing the last 2 digits of the 5- character code (site element). This second value of CDS SENDER IDENTITY must be registered and must be different to any already in use or submissions will not be accepted. 

ORGANISATION CODE (CODE OF PROVIDER) (Provider Code) and SITE CODE (OF TREATMENT) (Site Code) are not used as key fields for either the BULK or NET submission methods.  However, keeping the provider code consistent within data from all sites will allow spells from episodes across the sites to be correctly constructed. Data from different parts of a spell at the same provider should have the same provider code but may have different site codes if the patient is cared for at different locations within that spell.