The truth is out there. A discussion paper (5th March 2010)This discussion paper looks at how the public sector can improve information made available to the public. It follows the Audit Commission's publication in November 2009, Nothing but the truth, that looked at the reliability of facts and figures used by public service providers and decision-makers such as councils and health trusts, social workers, doctors and police.
The next document in their 'Truth' series, 'The truth is out there' poses questions such as 'What information will capture the public’s imagination?' and 'How will the public know what information to trust?'
Paper
Improving information for stakeholders: a report of a PCT and SHA working group to improve community information (2nd December 2009)This report sets out the findings of a joint DH/SHA/PCT working group to improve community information. The report provides a framework for commissioners and providers to improve information on community services and include a number of case studies from NHS organisations.
Report Quality framework for community services: directory of indicators. Draft version (1st December 2009)This directory sets out a list of quality indicators that are currently being developed for publication. The Department is piloting these indicators at 23 sites and is looking to publish amendments or changes to these at the end of the year.
Publication
Guide to Data Protection (26th November 2009)The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has produced a new guide to handling personal information.
The Guide offers practical advice to those with day-to-day responsibility for data protection, taking a straight-forward look at the principles of the Data Protection Act, helping organisations safeguard personal data.
Press Release
Guide
Closing the Gap. Tackling cardiovascular disease and health inequalities by prescribing statins and stop smoking services (18th September 2009)This new report, from Care Quality Commission (CQC) is calling for a renewed drive to cut numbers of people with cardiovascular disease (CVD) which is responsible for one in three deaths in England.
The report also highlights health inequalities between people in deprived areas and other parts of the country, of which CVD is the biggest cause.
ReportThe right information, in the right place, at the right time: A study of how healthcare organisations manage personal data (21st September 2009)This report, from CQC, calls for better patient care by ensuring the right patient information is in the right place, at the right time.
Healthcare organisations should meet the individual care needs of patients by making better use of the patient information they collect.
ReportWorking together to prevent and control infections (21st September 2009)Infections are passing between hospitals and care homes due to a lack of communication between care services.
This report highlights a need for hospitals and care homes to provide information about infections to each other to:
- make sure that people with, or recovering from, an infection are cared for properly
- reduce the chances of other people being infected
Report2009 survey of mental health acute inpatient services (24th September 2009)The biggest-ever national survey of people's experiences of acute mental health inpatient services reveals that too great a proportion feel they were let down in some important aspects of the care they received, says the CQC. More than 7,500 people recently discharged from 64 NHS trusts across England gave their views on each stage of their care from the moment they were admitted to hospital to the support they got after they left.
Survey
National Renal Dataset (4th August 2009)The National Renal Dataset provides the specification of information to be collected by the NHS to support implementation of the National Service Framework for Renal Services. This information will be used by kidney care services to assess their achievement of the quality standards and to improve kidney care for patients. Implementation of the dataset will take place in two stages: collection of 693 data items for May 2009 and a further 188 data items from April 2011.
Dataset
Intelligent Commissioning (July 2009)This report gives examples of the work of the Association of Public Health, Public Health and Themed Observatories to support commissioning and looks at the way forward.
Report Practical predictive modelling (15th July 2009)These are the presentations from the above event that was held at the Stobart Stadium, Widnes.
Presentations Creating a performance management framework for a minimal alcohol dataset for PCTs in Cheshire and Merseyside (27th July 2009)The Cheshire and Merseyside Partnerships for Health (ChaMPs) commissioned the Centre for Public Health (CPH) Research Directorate to identify possible data providers from a range of agencies who are able to provide intelligence regarding the impact of alcohol in Cheshire and Merseyside. The aim of the project was to develop a performance management framework which can provide a minimal dataset to be collected on a range of alcohol-related issues across Cheshire and Merseyside.
Report
Privacy Impact Assessment Handbook Version 2.0 (June 2009)The handbook, from the Information Commissioner's Office, is designed to be a practical and comprehensive guide, aimed at organisations who are developing projects that might have implications for people’s privacy. It will help organisations assess and identify any privacy concerns (a Privacy Impact Assessment) and address them at an early stage, rather than leaving the solutions to bolt on as an expensive afterthought.
Handbook
An Accreditation Scheme for Health and Social Care Information next steps and testing phase (29th May 2008)
The Information Accreditation Scheme has a pivotal role in improving patient experience in that it will ‘kite mark’ information producers in order to make it easier for people to make their own judgements about the quality of information to make decisions about their health, health care and social care. The Scheme is moving into an important testing phase and will be launched in early 2009. As part of the testing phase, we are looking for a limited number of information producers to help test the Standard and certification process during this year.
Complete Document and Cover Letter
Background Information and Expression of Interest Form
Guidance on data security breach management (April 2008)
This guidance, from the Information Commissioner’s Office, sets out some of the things an organisation needs to consider in the event of a security breach.
Click here for the Guidance
In the know (21st February 2008)
This paper, from the Audit Commission, aims to encourage people to think about the information they use whenever they make decisions. It has examples, drawn from many different sources, of how information has been used in improving public services. It also describes how the Commission is reviewing the way that information is generated, presented and used in making decisions.
Click here for the Summary
Click here for the Report
Patient Insight – harnessing the power of public opinion (7th February 2008)Developed by an independent steering group, Patient Insight: harnessing the power of public opinion, aims to fill the information deficit identified in a survey of acute trust board directors. The area of information the directors said they would most like to improve was customer insight. Patient Insight provides guidelines to help organisations maximise the value of information from, about and to patients.
Click here for the Report
Debunking six myths of the Data Protection Act (31st January 2008)
Recent security scandals have raised the profile of the Data Protection Act (DAP) But 10 years after it was passed, many organisations still misunderstand it. This brief article looks at some of the common myths surrounding it.
Click here for Document
Two new information publications available (3rd January 2007)Two new publications are now available from Information Standards Board for Health and Social Care (ISB H&SC). The first updates and revises the purpose and operations of ISB H&SC. The second informs dataset developers of best practice for specifying individual data elements.
Click here for the Overview
Click here for the Best Practice
