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Out of Area Placements

Captures details of Out of Area Placements in mental health services in England from both NHS and independent providers.

Documentation

About this standard

Publisher
NHS England
Also known as
OAPs
Reference code
SCCI2213
Publication date
04/11/2021
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
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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

Frequency

Dataset publication or collection occurs once a month.

Contact point

Using this standard

Applies to
  • Mental Health Trusts
  • Independent Sector Healthcare Providers
Associated medias

Topics and care settings

Topic
Adult
Care setting
  • Hospital
  • Mental health

Review Information

Scope
NHS-funded mental health care providers in England, providing local acute mental health services and having responsibility for sending any patient out of area. This includes both NHS and independent sector providers.
Contributor
Department of Health and Social Care
Legal authority
  • Section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012

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

  • Section 259 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012

  • NHS standard contract

More information

The purpose of this collection is to improve patient care and ultimately to eliminate the practice of inappropriately sending patients out of area to receive acute inpatient care.

An “out of area placement” is defined as happening when:

A patient with assessed acute mental health needs who requires non-specialised inpatient care (Integrated Care Board (ICB) commissioned) is admitted to a unit that does not form part of the usual local network of services.

Page last updated: 23 March 2024