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Dept of Health

Answer

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 26 November 2001, Official Report, column 737W, if he will establish standards to facilitate data quality maintenance, data transfer and data sharing. [25351] Ms Blears: The National Health Service Information Authority is responsible for the development of NHS data standards, and supports the independent Information Standards Boards that approve data standards for use by the NHS. The NHS Information Authority has also been commissioned to maintain and develop data quality standards for use by NHS hospital trusts in the collection of data required for management purposes. The process enables a trust to demonstrate that it has systems in place that meet pre-defined standards of data quality to fulfil its own management information requirements, and those of the commissioners of the trust's services. In addition, the NHS is to adopt standards for the transfer and sharing of data compliant with the electronic Government interoperability framework (e-GIF). Implementing the e-GIF within the NHS will be managed as an integral part of the NHS Information for Health strategy. The e-GIF standards are mandated on all new systems. The NHS Information Authority is leading work on migrating existing legacy systems to comply with e-GIF standards.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

25351; 380 c127W

Session

2001-02

Subjects

Databases Computer networks Health services ICT NHS Standards Electronic data interchange

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk