Set up your organisation on the Organisation Data Service (ODS)

This guide is for organisations submitting data to NHS England via the Strategic Data Collection Service (SDCS) Cloud for the first time.

There are a number of things that should be in place before you begin registering individual users onto SDCS Cloud:

• Ensure you have an Organisational Data Service (ODS) code, and that it is appropriate to be used for your data submission
• Ensure you have IG Management leads listed on the ODS Portal, and that this list is up-to-date

Your organisation will need an ODS code in order to submit data via SDCS Cloud.

An ODS code is a unique identification code assigned to healthcare organisations. It is used heavily in reporting activities and financial transactions.

It is very possible that you already have an ODS code for your organisation. We recommend speaking to a senior person involved in data or in finance to find out what your ODS code is.

If your organisation does not yet have an ODS code, your organisation needs to generate a new ODS code for the organisation.

Your organisation needs to have senior Information Governance (IG) management Leads listed against your ODS code. 

This list needs to be up-to-date.

In order for an individual user to get access to SDCS Cloud, NHS England will need assurance that the user has been authorised by one of these IG Management Leads. 

NHS England will check that authorisation has come from one of the IG Management leads.

IG Management Leads include Caldicott Guardians, Senior Information Risk Owners (SIRO), and Information Asset Owners (IAO).

To check if you have your IG management leads listed on the ODS portal, and who they are, you can search the ODS portal with your ODS code. You will find their names and contact details in the IG Management tab.

If your organisation does not have IG management leads listed, or the list is out of date, your organisation must update the list.