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Mental Health Services Data Set

Collect details of children and adults in contact with mental health and wellbeing services to meet national reporting requirements.

Documentation

About this standard

Publisher
NHS England
Also known as
MHSDS
Reference code
DAPB0011 Amd 37/2022
Publication date
06/07/2023
Publication version
6.0.0
Status
Active
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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.

Collection level

Record level

Contact point

enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk

Please quote MHSDS in the subject line.

Using this standard

Applies to
  • All organisations directly providing specialist secondary mental health services
  • All organisations directly providing specialist secondary disability services
  • All organisations directly providing specialist secondary autism services
  • NHS Mental Health Trusts
  • NHS Acute Trusts
  • NHS Community Trusts
  • Independent providers offering a service model for NHS/non-NHS funded patients
  • Any qualified providers offering a service model for NHS/non-NHS funded patients
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.
Associated medias
Conformance date
31/05/2024
Effective from
01/04/2024

Topics and care settings

Topic
  • Data definitions and terminologies
  • Reference data
Care setting
  • Community health
  • Hospital
  • Mental health
Dependencies

No known dependencies.

Related standards

Review Information

Scope
Health Services, NHS Services, Adult Social Care.
Sponsor

Shamin Rahman, Deputy Director, Mental Health and Disabilities Analysis Team (MHDAT), Department of Health and Social Care.

Senior Responsible Officer

Claire Murdoch, National Mental Health Director, NHS England.

Business Lead
Cher Cartwright, Information Lead Manager, NHS England.
Approval date
21/06/2023
Post Implementation review Date
30/06/2025
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 Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS) is a patient level, output based, secondary uses data set which aims to deliver robust, comprehensive, nationally consistent and comparable person-based information for all patients who are in contact with Mental Health Services. It covers services located in England or located outside England but treating patients commissioned by an English Integrated Care Board (ICB) or NHS England specialised commissioner, or an NHS-led Provider Collaborative. As a secondary uses data set it re-uses clinical and operational data for purposes other than direct patient care, for example: commissioning, service improvement and service design. It defines the data items, definitions and associated value sets extracted or derived from local information systems.

Data relating to Access to Adult Psychological Therapies is excluded from this collection.

About this change

The proposed updates to MHSDS will ensure the collection remains up to date with current policy and continues to support the NHS Long Term Plan. The changes also focus on the following key areas:

  • Reducing burden on providers wherever possible by identifying tables and data items for removal.
  • Reducing burden through limiting duplication of data collection with other national data sets (such as with the Assuring Transformation (AT) standard, which has various similarities with MHSDS).
  • Support for improved data completeness and quality through aligning the data set with evolving models for delivery of care:
    • Making sure the data set contains the relevant codes to more accurately reflect service provision to support programmes such as Learning Disability and Autism
    • Reflecting Delayed Transfers of Care data in line with the latest policy reviews
    • Further development of the MHSDS model to make it easier to flow data, such as for the Restrictive Interventions table
    • Corresponding to feedback from data submitters to address known issues or enhance existing items to ensure local data can be submitted accurately
  • To allow the data set to respond to and support new national reporting requirements, eg. the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act 1983 recommendations.

Corrigendum 6 February, 2024

Since the publication of the current release of this standard, the need for minor corrections to the data set have been identified.

Note that an updated Technical Output Specification (TOS) has been issued and should be read in conjunction with this Corrigendum.

The following documents have also been updated to reflect the changes:

  • NHS Data Model and Dictionary Change Request
  • MHSDS V6.0.0 Change Specification

Page last updated: 18 June 2024