Healthcare Operational Data Flows: Acute data set
The Healthcare Operational Data Flows (HODF): Acute Data Set provides an automated patient-based daily data collection to support NHS delivery plans for the recovery of elective care and emergency and urgent care.
Contents
- Documentation
About this standard
- Publisher
- NHS England
- Also known as
- HODF Acute Dataset
- Reference code
- DAPB4094 Amd 12/2023
- Publication date
- 18 June 2024
- Publication version
- 1.0.0
- Status
- Active
Show definitions of statuses
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.
- Frequency
Dataset publication or collection occurs once a day.
- Contact point
- Information Asset Owner: Lucy Elliss-Brookes
Using this standard
- Applies to
- This Standard applies to all NHS provider trusts and foundation trusts commissioned to provide acute services.
- 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
HODF Acute is the first of several collections intended to operate under the FDF Programme. Each data collection with have its own DPN and Requirements Specification published to aid implementation.
- Healthcare Operational Data Flows - Data Set Specification An updated Data Set Specification will be provided once Data Dictionary changes have been published.
- Read the Data Provision Notice
- Healthcare Operational Data Flows: Acute Information Standard (Requirements Specification)
- Implementation Guidance (Amd 12/2023)
- Further guidance is available on FutureNHS (login required)
- Conditional approval was granted by the Data Alliance Partnership Board (DAPB) in May 2023. Following completion of the conditions and release of the Directions this ISN was published.
- Healthcare Operational Data Flows - Data Set Specification
- Conformance date
- 18 October 2024
- Effective from
- 18 June 2024
Topics and care settings
- Topic
- Adult
- Care
- Clinical decision support
- Collections
- Health
- Care setting
- Hospital
Review Information
- Sponsor
Ming Tang, Chief Data & Analytics Officer, NHS England
- Senior Responsible Officer
Ayub Bhayat, Director of Data Services, NHS England
- Business Lead
- Rachel German, FDF Programme Lead, North of England Commissioning Support Unit (NECS) on behalf of NHS England
- Approval date
- 18 June 2024
- Post Implementation review Date
- 18 October 2025
Legal basis and endorsements
- Legal authority
Section 259 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012
NHS England has been directed by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, under section 254 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, to establish and operate a system for the collection and analysis of the information specified for this service. The direction and accompanying requirements specification are published on the NHS England website: Healthcare operational data flows 2024 directions
More information
The NHS faces a number of challenges with regards to managing patient flow and recovering elective waiting lists. Timely data to support these pressures is crucial.
The Faster Data Flows Programme (FDF) has been introduced with the primary goal to implement an automated granular daily data collection, to support recovery and with this provide the NHS with a modern data architecture that enables timely, high quality data to be used to support decision making.
The FDF Programme has produced the Healthcare Operational Data Flows (HODF): Acute Data Set which provides the definitions for data to provide an automated patient-based daily data collection. The HODF: Acute Data Set will support NHS delivery plans for the recovery of elective care and emergency
and urgent care in relation to recovering NHS waiting lists, care co-ordination, and the improvement of managing patient flows through the health and social care system.
Under the Healthcare Operational Data Flows: Acute Information Standard providers are required to set up a daily data flow of patient level data via a secure upload method to the NHS England CSU Regional Processing Centre. This will be processed and pseudonymised to be flown into NHS England's Data Platform.
Healthcare Operational Data Flows for acute personal data is a daily data collection, currently with no end date. The regular daily flow shall replace the Acute Pilot flow, commencing 1 June 2024, with submitters expected to be fully compliant with the HODF Acute Data Provision Notice and HODF Acute Technical Data Specification by Winter 2024.
Page last updated: 17 April 2025