Underpins the development, maintenance and publication of the UK Core Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard.

This information standard formally introduces the governance process for the oversight, direction and leadership of the UK Core Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) Release 4. The standard mandates, within the health and care sector in England, a consistent approach to the development of UK Core resources, thereby facilitating clear interoperability in the sharing of data across the NHS, health services and adult social care.
There is no set conformance date for this information standard but those in scope of the standard (as set out above) must now determine its impact and
make plans to address that impact.

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

uk-core-fhir-release-4-governance

UK Core FHIR Release 4 - Governance

A catalogue of the UK naming Uniform Resource Locators which act as a well known "name" for the type of another concept, such as an NHS Number or a SNOMED CT code.

The name is a machine readable unique string for the scheme of an identifier or codesystem.

uk-naming-systems

https://www.hl7.org.uk/register/about-hl7-uk/hl7-uk/

UK Naming Systems

Urgent Transfer from Care Home to Hospital: (EXCEL)

Urgent Transfer from Care Home to Hospital: (JSON)

Urgent Transfer from Care Home to Hospital: Release Notes

Urgent Transfer from Care Home to Hospital: Final Report

Urgent Transfer from Care Home to Hospital: Clinical Safety Case

Urgent Transfer from Care Home to Hospital: Hazard Log

Urgent Transfer from Care Home to Hospital: Implementation Guidance

Urgent Transfer from Care Home to Hospital: Business Rules

Care record standard to carry the information required for the care and support of a person when they are admitted to hospital from a care home in an emergency.

As people live longer and with more and increasingly complex needs, so requests for social care support are increasing. People are frequently moving between health and social care services and their information needs to be up-to-date and available to professionals and staff at the point of care. <a href="https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/">The NHS Plan (2019)</a> set out the digital plan for the NHS which included greater use of electronic systems and shared care records to support person-centred care.
The PRSB Urgent Transfer from Care Home to Hospital Standard sets out the information required for the care and support of a person when they are admitted to hospital from a care home in an emergency. It helps to support the <a href="https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng27/chapter/Recommendations#admission-to-hospital">NICE guidance recommendations</a> around communication and information sharing for hospital admissions.
<a href="https://www.nice.org.uk/about/nice-communities/social-care/quick-guides/moving-between-hospital-and-home-including-care-homes">The hospital transfer pathway</a> (often called the ‘Red Bag Pathway’), aims to ensure that every care home resident has a ‘red bag’ – their ‘hospital pack’, containing their personal information documents, medications, belongings, and clothes for travelling. The standard maps to the information requirements in the Red Bag initiative, and introduces additional information requirements, including a nursing summary of the care needs of the individual as well as an individual’s personal needs, wishes and preferences. 
About this standard
This standard sets out the clinical, demographic, and social information that needs to be available to the clinicians (and other professionals) in hospital in order to care for and support the patient during their hospital stay.
The expected benefits of implementing the standard are:
<ul>
<li>Identifies and supports people at risk of less favourable treatment or with less access to services; for example, people with communication difficulties who may require help to access the correct advocacy and access to the necessary adjustments to accommodate their needs in hospital</li>
<li>Ensures the transition is coordinated. Physical documentation often gets lost, during the transfer of the patient, it can be incomplete, and it can be time-consuming to generate. Use of electronic documentation and this standard is an enabler for achieving that objective and supports more integrated and person-centred ways of working, including increased efficiency for multidisciplinary teams</li>
<li>Improves patient safety by having information which is needed for safe continuity of care available on a timely basis. </li>
</ul>
However, its implementation must be concurrent with a drive to increase digital maturity across care homes. Also, in order for care home staff to have access to health and social care information held in shared records, the organisation needs to be compliant with the expected standard for health and social care to hold, process or share personal data.
Scope
The standard has been designed from the perspective of the information needs of the clinicians in hospital caring for the patient, which may differ – for example between a geriatrician and a nurse working in A&amp;E. Therefore, it is important that the information is displayed in a way that allows the different end users to be able to access the information easily and quickly (particularly in an emergency situation).
The urgent transfer from care home to hospital standard is: 
<ul>
<li>a definition of the information required by the hospital team to continue the care and treatment of an adult patient holistically when admitted from a care home to the hospital in an emergency </li>
<li>applicable to urgent referrals (or transfers) from all care home types – nursing (e.g., for people with severe learning or physical disabilities) and residential </li>
<li>applies to any IT system</li>
<li>designed to support the digital sharing of information </li>
</ul>
The standards will have applicability to UK urgent and emergency care services including: 
<ul>
<li>Type 1 – a major emergency care department is consultant led and must be a 24-hour, seven-day service, with full resuscitation facilities and designated accommodation for the reception of patients requiring emergency care, including those arriving by emergency ambulance. </li>
<li>Type 2 – a mono-specialty emergency care department is a consultant led mono-specialty (for example ophthalmology, dentistry) emergency care service, with designated accommodation for the reception of patients requiring emergency care. This may include patients arriving by emergency ambulance, depending on local arrangements. </li>
<li>Type 3 – an urgent treatment centre is general medical practitioner led, open at least 12 hours every day, and offers appointments which can be booked via the NHS 111 service or a general medical practitioner referral. </li></ul>
The urgent transfer from care home to hospital standard is not: 
<ul>
<li>a definition of how information should be presented to professionals </li>
<li>a definition of how the information should be captured / sourced </li>
</ul>
How it works
Many of the information requirements identified in the Urgent Transfer from Care Home to Hospital Standard would ideally be fulfilled by a shared health and care record with information from the source rather than the care home. This would apply, for example, to information such as history of problems or diagnoses or medications and allergies where the GP record or the hospital record would be the source of this information.
Some information, however, will need to be transferred with the person at the point of transfer such as the reason for the referral and any recent assessments or observations (not held within the shared record) that would provide baseline information for receiving professionals and including a nursing summary of the care needs of the individual and a record of over-the-counter medications.

NHS England permits the copying and re-use of Information Standards, in whole or in part, for commercial and non-commercial purposes but, to protect the integrity of the Information Standards, you are not permitted to adapt, amend or decompile the Information Standards for any purpose without our prior consent.

urgent-transfer-from-care-home-to-hospital

Urgent transfer from care home to hospital

A set of ten specific measures (metrics) which enables NHS organisations to compare the workplace and career experiences of disabled and non-disabled staff.

The Workforce Disability Equality Standard is voluntary for Clinical Commissioning Groups, Integrated Care Boards and Arms Length Bodies (ALBs).

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

workforce-disability-equality-standard

Workforce Disability Equality Standard

Measures progress against a number of indicators of workforce equality, including a specific indicator to address the low numbers of Black, Minority and other Ethnic category board members across the organisation by ethnicity.

workforce-race-equality-standard

Workforce Race Equality Standard

Wound Care Standard: (EXCEL) 

future.nhs.uk – Improving wound care

Wound Care Standard: (JSON)

Wound Care Standard: JSON (Simplified)

Wound Care Standard: JSON - Supported Self Management

Wound Care Standard: Final Report

Wound Care Standard: Business Rules

Wound Care Standard: Survey

Wound Care Standard: Hazard Log

Wound Care Standard: Clinical Safety Case

Wound Care Standard: Release Notes

Wound Care Standard: Example - Surgical Wound Caeasarian

Wound Care Standard: Example - Pressure Ulcer

Wound Care Standard: Example - Leg Ulcer

Wound Care Standard: Example - Implementation Guidance

Wound Care Standard: Implementation toolkit (PRSB)

Gives a framework for clinicians to record the clinical assessment, observations and treatments given.

The standard is intended to support the aims of the National Wound Care Strategy Programme (NWCSP) to:
<ul>
 <li>Reduce patient suffering </li>
 <li>Improve healing rates </li>
 <li>Prevent wounds occurring and recurring </li>
 <li>Use clinical time and other health and care resources in the most effective way</li>
</ul>
It is based on professional guidance, the relevant NICE guideline, evidence review, and extensive consultation with health professionals, people, and carers.
Scope
The standard covers the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, ongoing care and prevention of the wounds across all health and care settings for three areas of wound care;
<ul>
<li>Lower limb (leg and foot) wounds</li>
<li>Pressure ulcers</li>
<li>Surgical wound complications</li>
<li>The standard is UK wide and is for adults and children.</li></ul>
Out of scope:
<ul>
<li>Wound types not specified above, including those caused by external factors such as new trauma and burns (although it may work for these).</li>
<li>Management of arterial and peripheral vascular disease. While leg wounds often result from peripheral venous or arterial disease, prevention and management of vascular disease is beyond the scope of this standard.</li>
<li>Management of Lymphoedema. While leg wounds may result from lower limb lymphoedema, management of lymphoedema is beyond the scope of this standard.</li></ul>
How it works
With the exception of surgical wounds, wound care normally starts with a baseline assessment of the wound and the person. The wound assessment and treatment section of this standard allows for recording details of the “contact with professionals” for each contact. This is likely to be followed by a “baseline assessment”, “clinical observations”, and initial treatments. The baseline assessment is then likely to be used to develop a treatment plan through discussion with the individual of their “About Me” information, gathering their “Person preferences” and considering the relevant treatments. 
The treatment plan would be added to their “personalised care and support plan” using the “care and support plan” section for their needs, goals and actions and if needed an “additional support plan” for the details of the medical treatment. A “contingency plan” (also known as an escalation plan) can also be created if appropriate.
It is recognised that for surgical wounds, the treatment plan may be developed pre-surgery, and the assessment and treatment will only apply if wound complications occur post-surgery.
All further contacts with professionals would then be recorded in a similar way along with assessments, observations and treatments as deemed professionally appropriate. The standard supports professional guidance by allowing consistent information to be recorded with the potential for prompts for the information recorded in assessments, observations and treatments.
The supported self-care (self-management) section enables the recording of any self-care that the person with a wound may do, and for the person to record documents or images which can be uploaded to a clinical system or patient record.
Mandatory, required and optional
All elements in the information standard are defined as either Mandatory, Required or Optional. Very few elements are mandatory, many are required and these only need to be entered when they are collected or known, and can be left blank when they are not appropriate for that occasion.
<ul>
<li>Mandatory – The information must be recorded.</li>
<li>Required – If it exists, the information must be recorded.</li>
<li>Optional – Local decision is made as to whether the information is recorded.</li>
</ul>
Implementing the standard
The information standard defines the data that should be recorded to support care professionals in their delivery of high quality care. IT system suppliers are expected to build or customise their clinical systems to allow the recording of this data. Systems will be a mix of specialist wound care management systems and more general electronic patient record systems. Care professionals need to be aware of the standard but do not need to have a complete, in depth understanding of the detail of the standard’s information model. Care professionals should be reassured that their system has implemented and operates in accordance with the information standard. It is recommended that those responsible for clinical systems check if their suppliers have implemented the standard.

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

wound-care-information-standard

Wound Care Information Standard

## Data Coordination Board

Acting under delegated authority from the Secretary of State for Health, the Data Coordination Board has approved a change to an existing information standard for publication under section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

>You must comply with this change by the full conformance date specified below.

## Standard details

DCB unique identifier: DCB1605 Amd 27/2017

Name: Accessible Information, version 1.1

Approval date: 3 August 2017

Publication date: 10 August 2017

## Standard definition

This information standard aims to make sure that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss get appropriate information and communication support from NHS and adult social care services.

 It requires all applicable organisations to identify, record, flag, share and meet the information and communication support needs of patients, service users, carers and parents with a disability, impairment or sensory loss.

Successful implementation will lead to improved outcomes and experiences, and the provision of safer and more personalised care and services to those individuals who come within the scope of the standard.

## About this change

The standard has been updated following a post implementation review undertaken in early 2017. Changes to the standard include:
* Updates to the meaning of certain terms used, including changes to the definitions for ‘parent’ and ‘highly visible’. 
* Amendments relating to mental health service users and the Mental Capacity Act 2005, to improve clarity, especially regarding support for people who may lack capacity.
* Inclusion of advice regarding support for individuals with a learning difficulty.
* Updates to reflect the current position regarding the inclusion and transfer of data recorded using existing systems.

The revised Implementation Guidance reflects these updates and also includes additional guidance on sharing of information (including consent), use of email / text message to communicate with patients / service users, parental responsibility, and to address some other specific queries that have been raised about interpretation. There are no substantive amendments to the Requirements of the Standard and no substantive changes to the overall scope.

Scope (Health and Health Services: NHS Services, Adult Social Care

Applies to: This standard applies to – and therefore must be implemented and adhered to by – ALL providers of publicly-funded NHS, public health and adult social care services.

Effective implementation will require such organisations to make changes to policy, procedure, human behaviour and, where applicable, electronic systems

Impacts Upon: Commissioners must ensure that their commissioning and procurement arrangements with providers of health and / or adult social care reflect, enable and support implementation and compliance with this standard. They must also seek assurance from providers of their compliance with this standard.

Implementation of this standard impacts all suppliers providing systems to the above providers; suppliers should work with their customers to determine appropriate use

Legal authority This information standard is published under section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

It supports compliance with obligations under the Equality Act 2010.

Link to further documentation: The Requirements Specification, Implementation Guidance and the Change Specification are available on the NHS Digital website:

 www.content.digital.nhs.uk/isce/publication/accessibleinformation

Further information is available on the NHS England website at http://www.england.nhs.uk/accessibleinfo

## Contacts

Sponsor: Rob Dickman, Senior Policy Manager, Department of Health

SRO: Olivia Butterworth, Head of Public Participation, NHS England

Business Lead: Sarah Marsay, Public Engagement Manager, NHS England

Help Desk: england.patientsincontrol@nhs.net

## Dates

Implementation and conformance dates: Conformance with this Standard was due by 31 July 2016. This Notice does not change that date. ==Organisations== which have not yet implemented the Standard should start to do so with immediate effect. Those organisations that are compliant should note the contents of the change documentation issued.

Post Implementation Review date: 31 July 2019

The Information Standards Notice declaring the publication of the Accessible Information standard, that defines a set of information that can potentially be shared between systems in different sites and settings, among professionals and people using services.

accessible-information-isn

Accessible Information - ISN

Accessible Information - Information Standards Notice - Change

Discover recognised published standards that help data work together for users in health and adult social care within England.

published-standards

Published standards

* [Home](https://standards.nhs.uk/)

## Browse by care setting

* [Hospitals](/search-results?care_setting=Hospital)
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* [Browse all care settings](/search-results)

##  Browse by topic

* [Appointments](/search-results?topic=Appointment+%2F+scheduling)
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## Browse by type

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* [Feedback](https://metadata.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/20) 

A sitemap for the NHS Standards Directory

site-map

Site map

This accessibility statement applies to the NHS Standards Directory. 

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, this means you should be able to:
* change colours, contrast levels and fonts
* zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
* navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
* listen to most of the website using a screen reader
* we have also made the website text as simple as possible to understand

[AbilityNet](https://mcmw.abilitynet.org.uk/) has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

## How accessible this website is
We know from several accessibility reports that parts of this website are not fully accessible.

### Usability issues
We have identified some issues that, although do not fail to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, may prove challenging for users of the website. These include:
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We are actively working to address these issues as part of an ongoing programme to improve the accessibility of this website.

### Other websites that the directory signposts to
Many of the links to standard documentation that we signpost use PDFs which are not fully accessible to screen reader software. Some of these PDFs are required to access the specification or implementation guidance for the standards.

If you're having problems using these PDFs, contact the standard owner for advice.

## Feedback and contact information
We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. Contact england.interop.standards@nhs.net if you have an accessibility query including:
* issues with accessing information or using this website
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## Enforcement procedure
If you contact us with a complaint and you are not happy with our response, [contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS)](https://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/).
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the [Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 on legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/952/contents/made) (the "accessibility regulations").

## Technical information about this website's accessibility
We're committed to making this website accessible, in accordance with the accessibility regulations.

### Compliance status
This website is compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 AA standard. This means we have addressed all the level A and AA accessibility issues identified through internal tests or raised by an external evaluator.

## Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was updated in November 2022.

This website was last tested in September 2022 by the [Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC)](https://digitalaccessibilitycentre.org/), who performed an expert user evaluation against all level A and AA success criteria of WCAG 2.1. A technical review to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 AA standard will be carried out in April 2024, with compliance to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 AA standard by September 2024. This website's accessibility will continue to be reviewed on a regular basis. 

Check how accessible our website is for disabled people and others.

accessibility-statement

Accessibility statement

Your privacy is important to us. This privacy policy covers what we collect and how we use, share and store your information.

This page tells you:

* about the information we may collect
* how we keep your data secure
* who we share your data with
* about your rights to see or change information we hold about you

## Information we may collect

You can leave feedback on some pages of the website or on a user survey. You can choose to share your email address if you want a reply by emailing the team directly on [england.interop.standards@nhs.net](mailto:england.interop.standards@nhs.net). Otherwise, we collect and store feedback anonymously.

### How we use cookies

Our website uses cookies. These are small files saved on your phone, tablet or computer when you visit a website. They store information about how you use the website, such as the pages you visit.

The law says that we can store cookies on your device if they are strictly necessary to make our website work. We need your permission for all other types of cookies before we can use them on your device.

We like to use analytics cookies that measure how you use our website and help us improve our service for future users but we only use these cookies if you say it's OK.

[Read our cookie policy](/cookie-policy) to find out more about the cookies we use and tell us if we can put analytics cookies on your device.

We sometimes use tools on other organisations' websites to collect data or to ask for feedback. These tools set their own cookies.

#### How we collect and store your data

If you interact with us on social media, we may receive some personally identifiable data about you, which is supplied by the channel you are using (for example, Twitter or Linkedin). This may include:

* your name
* social media handles (such as Twitter account name)
* location history (where you are contacting us from)
* images (such as your profile picture)

We will process and store your data in accordance with the terms and conditions and privacy policy of the platform in question. You should be aware that your use of these platforms is governed by the terms and conditions agreed between you and the platform, rather than with us.

We will not remove, duplicate or transfer your personal data from or between any of the social platforms that we use, except for when you give us explicit permission to do so or when we believe that we need to in order to respond to an urgent risk to health.

You should be aware that social networks may control some of the data associated with interactions between you (the user) and us (NHS Standards Directory) on their platforms. For example, we will be able to delete our own records of a private message conversation if you ask us to do so, but social networks may store a copy of this conversation that we are unable to access.

We recommend using the privacy tools built into the social networks in question to make sure you are able to exercise your rights appropriately.

#### Understanding how social networks use your data

Social networks use information about your online activity to build a profile of you. This data is then used (anonymously) to send you targeted adverts across various digital platforms.

You should be aware that interacting with accounts such as ours may help build the profile of you that social networks maintain, and that could potentially result in you receiving adverts about related issues.

This process of collecting data for advertising purposes is not controlled by the NHS Standards Directory, and we do not have access to the profiling data stored by social networks about you.


## Keeping your personal data secure

We convert your data into secure code (encrypt it) and store it on secure servers in England. A partner organisation is providing hosting services but has no say in how the information is used. There are no legal ways for their employees to see the data. Only approved people in the NHS Standards Directory team can see it.

If you shared your email with us as part of a survey, we will delete it after 2 years. At that point no one can identify you in the survey data.


## Data sharing

NHS England may share anonymous information on how the service is used internally.

### Legal powers

When you give us personal information, we may pass it on if the law says we must.

If you make a claim against us, we and other third parties such as our solicitors may need to look at this information.

We will not share your personal information with anyone else without your permission for any other reason.


## Your rights

You can:


* find out what information we hold about you, ask us to correct it if it's wrong, or delete it by emailing [england.interop.standards@nhs.net](mailto:england.interop.standards@nhs.net). 
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Check how we collect, use, share and store data for people visiting our website.

privacy-policy

Privacy policy

## What are cookies?

Cookies are files saved on your phone, tablet or computer when you visit a website.

They store information about how you use the website, such as the pages you visit.

Cookies are not viruses or computer programs. They are very small so do not take up much space.

## How we use cookies

We only use cookies to:

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We do not use any other cookies, for example, cookies that remember your settings or cookies that help with health campaigns.

We sometimes use tools on other organisations' websites to collect data or to ask for feedback. These tools set their own cookies.

Check how we use cookies to collect and store information about visits to our website.

cookie-policy

Cookie policy

Discover future standards that could help data work together for users in health and adult social care within England. 
 Please note these are subject to change and are not guaranteed to become published or to be assured by an approved Standards Body. For more information or to propose a new standard, email <a href="mailto:england.interop.standards@nhs.net">england.interop.standards@nhs.net</a>.

future-standards

Future standards

### Standards Directory mailbox

You can contact the team who manage the Standards Directory by emailing england.interop.standards@nhs.net.

### Standard development bodies

[The Data Alliance Partnership Board](https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/information-standards/information-standards-and-data-collections-including-extractions/data-alliance-partnership-board) approves information standards, data collections and extractions for health and adult social care in England. 

[Government Digital Service](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/government-digital-service) owns the [UK government’s API Catalogue](https://www.api.gov.uk/#uk-public-sector-apis) which lists public sector APIs. They also oversee the [Data Standards Authority](https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/data-standards-authority) which sets standards for data-sharing in government.

[HL7 UK](https://www.hl7.org.uk/) develops standards for exchanging electronic health information in the UK.

[NHS Digital](https://digital.nhs.uk/) owns the [NHS' API Catalogue](https://digital.nhs.uk/developer/api-catalogue) which lists APIs for use in the NHS. New APIs can be voted on in their [product backlog](https://nhs-digital-api-management.featureupvote.com). 

[The Professional Record Standards Body](https://theprsb.org/) develops standards for patient and care records. 

### Discussion forums

[FutureNHS](https://future.nhs.uk/) is a platform for health and social care professionals to connect.

INTEROPen is a place to discuss standards development and usage in health and social care. Their [discussion forum](https://interopen.ryver.com/application/login) is hosted on Ryver - email membership@interopen.org to join.

[Digital health networks](https://digitalhealthnetworks.net/) are where health and social care professionals can support the digital agenda through discussions and events.

### Technology regulations

The [NHS Service Standard](https://service-manual.nhs.uk/standards-and-technology/service-standard) and [GDS Service Standard](https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/service-standard) are standards for designing and building online services. [Point 17 of the NHS Service Standard](https://service-manual.nhs.uk/standards-and-technology/service-standard-points/17-make-your-service-interoperable) states that technology must implement standards that support interoperability. 

The [Technology Code of Practice](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-technology-code-of-practice) is a set of criteria to help government build or buy technology. 
 
The [Web Content Accessibility Guidelines](https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/) are a requirement for all public sector websites and apps.

### Platforms for buying and selling IT

[GP IT Futures Capabilities & Standards](https://gpitbjss.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/GPITF/overview?homepageId=1391134009) is a commercial framework for primary care technology.

[Health Systems Support Framework](https://www.england.nhs.uk/hssf/) is a commercial framework for non-clinical solutions related to population health management such as advanced analytics and digital infrastructure.  

[The Digital Social Care Records Dynamic Purchasing System](https://www.digitalsocialcare.co.uk/social-care-technology/digital-social-care-records-dynamic-purchasing-system/) is a commercial framework for solutions that digitise social care records.

### Design kits and case studies

[The NHS Design System](https://service-manual.nhs.uk/design-system) has design patterns and style guides for use in NHS digital services.

[The GOV.UK Design System](https://design-system.service.gov.uk/) has design patterns and style guides for use in all public sector digital services.

[NHS digital playbooks](https://www.nhsx.nhs.uk/key-tools-and-info/digital-playbooks/) show examples of how care pathways have been improved with technology.


Explore resources for the standards community in health and social care including links to discussion forums and government regulations.

help-and-resources

Help and resources

## What this service does

The directory is a source of recognised standards used by technologies in health and adult social care to exchange data in England. 

It is a signposting service only. It doesn’t include the full documentation for each standard. This can be found on the standard owner’s website.

This service is currently in development and is being tested and improved based on feedback. To report a problem or make a suggestion, email <a href="mailto:england.interop.standards@nhs.net">england.interop.standards@nhs.net</a>.

To learn more about why this service was needed and the future plans for it there is a <a href="https://digital.nhs.uk/blog/tech-talk/2022/discovering-data-standards-together">2022 blog written by the Product Manager</a> of the NHS Standards Directory.

[Find out more about standards](/about-standards).

## Who this service is for

This service is for anyone building or buying digital technologies for the NHS or local authority-funded adult social care services in England. 

This includes IT suppliers, healthcare providers and technology buyers such as procurement teams and framework operators.

## What standards are included

The directory lists all standards that are mandated at a national level as well as some standards that are not mandatory but are widely in use in England. These include: 

* all approved national [information standards](https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/information-standards/information-standards-and-data-collections-including-extractions/publications-and-notifications/standards-and-collections#approved-standards-and-collections). These are assured by the [Data Alliance Partnership Board](https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/information-standards/information-standards-and-data-collections-including-extractions/data-alliance-partnership-board) and issued with an Information Standard Notice, which means they are mandatory.
* APIs published in [NHS Digital's API Catalogue](https://digital.nhs.uk/developer/api-catalogue)
* record standards published by the [Professional Record Standards Body](https://theprsb.org/)

It also includes draft APIs and draft standards that are in the process of being assured at the national level.

More standards are likely to be added to the directory in the future. You can find [data collections and extractions on NHS Digital’s website](https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/information-standards/information-standards-and-data-collections-including-extractions/publications-and-notifications/standards-and-collections#approved-standards-and-collections). 

When writing information around standards there is an aim to provide clear, accessible and useful metadata to enable everyone to understand it. Details of which can be read in this <a href="https://services.blog.gov.uk/2022/12/14/how-content-design-helped-to-frame-a-new-service-around-nhs-data-standards/">2022 blog on the use of content design to build the Standards Directory.</a>

## Who manages this service

This service is managed by NHS England and Improvement working closely with organisations involved in standards development. You can contact the standards directory team by emailing <a href="mailto:england.interop.standards@nhs.net">england.interop.standards@nhs.net</a>.

Check who owns and manages the NHS Standards Directory and what the service is for.

about-this-service

About this service

## What we mean by standards
This service contains standards, which we group into 4 categories:

*   **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.

[Browse collections](/search-results?standard_category=Collections).

*   **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..

[Browse extractions](/search-results?standard_category=Extractions).

*   **Technical standards and specifications** specify how to make information available technically including how the data is structured and transported

[Browse technical standards and specifications](/search-results?standard_category=Technical+standards+and+specifications).

* **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.

[Browse information standards](/search-results?standard_category=Information+standards).

Not every standard that exists is listed in this service. You can [find out which standards are included](/about-this-service#what-standards-are-included). 

## Benefits of using standards
There are many benefits to using standards including:

* it’s more efficient to reuse existing approaches to recording or exchanging data than creating new ones
* it promotes quality by ensuring all care settings are aligned to standards that have been approved by qualified bodies
* it makes it easier to analyse data at the national level and see trends or problems if the data has all been standardised 
* it is essential to achieving interoperability, which would allow IT systems across the country to share data. An example of this is hospitals being able to update GP records directly using their own systems instead of sending emails

## Report a gap in standards
Work is underway to publish a process for people developing new standards. 

In the meantime, please notify us of plans to create new standards by emailing england.interop.standards@nhs.net. Local standards that apply at the national level may be uplifted for national use.  


Find out about the different types and benefits of standards in health and social care and how to report a gap in standards.

about-standards

About standards

Standards which have not yet been published will appear on the roadmap page

List any related standards e.g. if the standard forms part of a broader package that users may wish to implement together

Any standards or services (e.g. SNOMED CT or the Patient Administration System) that must be implemented in order for this standard to work

e.g. Association of Directors of Adult Social Services

This can be skipped unless you want to add an additional documentation link

Published standardsSearch or browse published standards

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