Welcome

This is the website for the Diagnostic Imaging Dataset (DID) collection.

This website is where providers of diagnostic imaging tests to NHS patients in England will need to submit data on a periodic basis. This data will be an extract taken from their Radiology Information System (RIS).

Extracts of data have been required for  imaging activity since of April 2012 (based on imaging test date). This first submission of data was made by NHS Providers in mid-May 2012. The timetable contains exact dates of submission windows.

What is the Diagnostic Imaging Dataset?

The DID is a monthly collection of data on diagnostic imaging tests, extracted from providers RISs. ROCR and Monitor have mandated that all NHS providers must return this dataset. The ROCR licence no for this collection is ROCR/OR/2131/FT6/001MAND. The collection has s251 support from the NIGB to collect patient identifiable data.

The DID aims to fulfill a number of purposes:

• Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer (IOSC) set out the Coalition Government's ambition to close the gap in cancer survival rates between England and Europe. Achieving earlier diagnosis of cancer will be key to delivering this. The National Awareness and Earlier Diagnosis Initiative (NAEDI) has assembled a broad evidence base linking late diagnosis with poor survival and avoidable deaths. In order to achieve earlier diagnosis for English NHS patients, IOSC set out plans to improve access to selected diagnostic tests for GPs and to ensure that data is routinely collected on GP usage of these tests so that GPs can benchmark their own usage of them and service provision can be monitored.
• The Public Health England Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards annually reports on the frequency and collective dose for medical x-ray examinations, to support the provision of radioactive emission data for an European Commission directive (Article 45 of Council Directive 96/29/Euratom) measuring the background radiation emitted. The DID will give accurate details on both the specific tests performed and the demographics of the patients for an entire population, rather than just a small sample, allowing accurate reporting.
• The dataset will enable analysis of demographic and geographic variation in access to different test types and different providers.
• The DID has been designed to ensure that the data collected in the KH12 return, which covers all diagnostic imaging tests, can be replicated. Subject to assurances regarding data completeness and quality, which will be regularly reviewed, KH12 could then be stopped and the data burden on providers minimised.
• Information from the DID will also inform accreditation processes for imaging departments through the UK Imaging Services Accreditation Scheme and the assessment of imaging services by the Care Quality Commission.
• This dataset will provide information on the utilisation of high value imaging equipment such as MRI scanners.
• Information about diagnostic testing could be linked to cancer patient's records held in Cancer Registries, expanding the understanding we have of their treatment pathway.

Does my organisation need to submit this data?

If you provide diagnostic imaging tests to NHS patients in England, you need to submit this data. This includes; NHS trusts, NHS Foundation Trusts, and Independent Sector Providers who provide NHS funded diagnostic imaging tests.

However, please note that you are not expected to submit data on: breast screening services or any other diagnostic imaging tests not typically recorded on your central Radiology Information System (RIS).

In addition, if you are an NHS organisation that uses another organisation to perform a subset of your diagnostic imaging tests, you should ensure that either you or the other organisation (for example, an Independent Sector Provider or another NHS Trust) submit this data, to avoid gaps or double counting.

The ROCR team are keen to receive feedback on central data collections from the colleagues who complete/submit returns. In particular, around the length of time data collections take to complete and any issues, suggested improvements or duplication of data collections. Feedback can given to rocr@hscic.gov.uk

Preparations before providers can submit data: Local examination codes

Trusts which use local examination codes either instead of or as well as NICIP examination codes should contact us (see contact tab for details) as soon as possible since the system will not allow submission of local codes without prior notification.