Skip to main content
BETA A NHS service powered by standards. Feedbackopens in a new window will help us improve.

Emergency Care Data Set

Emergency Care Data Set (ECDS) is the Commissioning Data Set (CDS) Type for emergency care services.

About this standard

Publisher
NHS England
Also known as
  • Also known as ECDS.
Reference code
DAPB0092-2062 Amd 17/2022
Publication date
10/01/2023
Status
Active
Show definitions of statuses

Active. Active standards are stable, maintained and have been approved, assured or endorsed for use by qualified bodies.

Deprecated Deprecated standards are available for use and are maintained, but are being phased out, so new functionality will not be added.

Retired standards Retired standards are not being maintained or supported and should not be used.

Standard type
  • Collections
  • Information standards
Show definitions of standard types

Collections. A Collection is a systematic gathering of a specified selection of data or information for a particular stated purpose from existing records held within health and care systems and electronic devices.

Extractions. An extraction is a type of collection that is pulled from an operational system by the data controller and transmitted to the receiver without additional processing or transcription by the sender.

Information standards. Information standards are agreed ways of doing something, written down as a set of precise criteria so they can be used as rules, guidelines, or definitions.

Technical Standards and specifications. Technical standards and specifications specify how to make information available technically including how the data is structured and transported.

Contact point

dataset.development@nhs.net

Quote ECDS in the subject line.

Link to standard

Documentation
View documentation for this standard
opens in a new tab
(opens in new tab)
Applies to
  • All providers of Type 01, 02, 03, 05 and 06 Urgent and Emergency Care Activity Types.
Impacts on
Implementation of this information standard impacts all health IT systems suppliers providing systems to the above providers; suppliers should work with their customers to determine necessary changes.
Conformance date
01/07/2024
Effective from
01/07/2023

Topics and care settings

Topic
  • Appointment / scheduling
  • Data definitions and terminologies
  • Reference data
Care setting
  • Hospital
  • Urgent and Emergency Care

Dependencies and related standards

Related standards

Review Information

Scope
NHS Services
Sponsor

  • Julian Redhead, National Clinical Director for Urgent and Emergency Care, NHS England.

Senior Responsible Officer

Marc Thomas, Director of Policy for Emergency and Elective Care, NHS England

Business Lead
  • John Winter, Programme Manager, NHS England.
Approval date
22/12/2022
Post Implementation review Date
30/06/2025

Legal basis and endorsements

Legal authority

  • Section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012

    This information standard is published under section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012

  • NHS standard contract

    This collection is published under the NHS Standard Contract.

More information

The Commissioning Data Sets (CDS) are the primary mechanism for the national reporting of secondary care activity which is either NHS funded and/or provided by NHS organisations. They comprise a series of patient level data sets (Types) intended to deliver robust, comprehensive, nationally consistent and comparable person-based information.

Type 011: Emergency Care Data Set (ECDS) is the CDS Type for emergency care services, and allows for:

  • the capture of information about
    • the complexity and acuity of attending patients 
    • the causes of rising demand
    • the value added by emergency departments
  • the capture of diagnostic data to ensure an enhanced understanding of need, activity and outcomes 
  • consistent monitoring of data across local and national initiatives 
  • support for injury surveillance, such that it will be possible to identify patterns that may be amenable to targeted interventions and improved public health.

Data for all CDS Types are submitted to NHS Digital’s Secondary Uses Service (SUS+) and form the basis of the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set.

The key changes made in ECDS version 4.0 include:

  • Recording of Virtual Care (including virtual consultations)
  • Recording Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) activity
  • Recording of Hot Clinics
  • Deprecation of EC Service Type 04 – ‘NHS walk in centres’
  • Recording activity relating to prevention of violence and injury / Injury Sharing to Tackle Violence (ISTV)
  • Introduction of new Assessment Scales
  • Expansion of clinical data terms
  • Other minor changes

Page last updated: 10 May 2024