Standards Delivery
Assurance Review:
Questions for External Stakeholders
Published August 2016
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NHS Digital is the trading name of the Health and Social Care Information Centre.
Standards Delivery Assurance Review:
Dear Colleague,
Standards Delivery Assurance Review (SDAR)
NHS Digital is carrying out a Standards Delivery Assurance Review (SDAR) and would like to
consider your views as part of the overall activity and formulation of recommendations.
This letter summarises the background and rationale for the SDAR, and the approach being taken to
deliver the Review’s outputs.
Background
The NHS Five Year Forward View1 and the HSCIC Strategy2 identify interoperability as a key enabler
for the future of health and social care. Underpinning interoperability is a requirement for an effective
way of defining and implementing standards across the health and care system.
NHS Digital has been both supporting and leading the development of health informatics standards
over the past five years. It is our intention to continue supporting the wider system as the leader in
national health informatics standards development and implementation.
The Secretary of State, through the Paperless 2020 portfolio of programmes has given a clear remit
to NHS England, the Department of Health and NHS Digital in terms of the priorities for the next five
years. This mandate provides NHS Digital with an opportunity to review its key functions with the
objective of optimising them to better meet the needs of Paperless 2020 and the wider system. To
this end, NHS Digital has initiated an Assurance Review of the delivery of standards, which aims to
consult with key stakeholders across health and care in order to reshape the mission, strategy and
operating model of health informatics standards delivery and implementation.
Focus of the SDAR
The SDAR will consider the current status of the delivery of informatics standards development,
assurance, approval, implementation and support/maintenance functions across NHS Digital to
determine how this capability should evolve to meet the current and emergent needs of Paperless
2020, and those of the wider health and care system.
Approach being taken to deliver the SDAR
The SDAR Review Group aims to interview a wide range of stakeholders, internal and external to
NHS Digital, and through these to update NHS Digital’s strategy for developing and delivering health
and care informatics standards. It will also consider relevant documentation.
Interviews with Stakeholders
We would like to explore and capture your views during an interview as part of the overall activity to
inform the SDAR recommendations.
This document contains a range of questions for use by the interviewer and you may wish to consider
the areas it covers and identify any relevant information ahead of the interview.
Interviews will normally be conducted by a Review Group member, supported by a note-taker. On
occasion, it may be useful to make an audio recording of the interview to ensure all points are
captured but we would ask your permission beforehand. All notes recorded during interviews will be
1
2
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/5yfv-web.pdf
http://www.hscic.gov.uk/hscicstrategy
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Standards Delivery Assurance Review:
stored on a secure area of an NHS Digital SharePoint site and will only be seen by the Review Group
members. Audio recordings will be deleted.
A report will be submitted to NHS Digital’s internal Executive Management Team but this will not
include interview transcripts and, if it is helpful to quote an individual, we would of course seek
consent beforehand. Similarly, we will be happy to provide you with a copy of the relevant sections
of the report on request.
SDAR Review Group
The review group members are:
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Alex Elias, Director of Cross Government Programmes and Standards Development
Andrew Fenton, Digital and Data Policy, DH
Paul Amos, Clinical consultant.
Ian Townend, Enterprise Business Architect, NHS England
Matt Watson, Programme Manager, NHS Digital
Thank you very much in anticipation of your contribution to the SDAR. If you have any questions
about the Review, please contact: [email protected]
Alex Elias,
Director of Cross Government Programmes and Standards Development
NHS Digital
August 2016
Annexes:
Annex A: Summary of the National Information Board (NIB) July 2016
Annex B: List of NHS Digital Products and Services
Annex C: Questions for External Stakeholders
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Standards Delivery Assurance Review:
Annex A: National Information Board
Role of the National Information Board
The role of the National Information Board (NIB) is to put data and technology safely to work for
patients, service users, citizens and the professionals who serve them. The NIB brings together
national health and care organisations from the NHS, public health, clinical science, social care and
local government, along with appointed independent representatives to develop the strategic
priorities for data and technology. The work of the NIB is overseen by the Department of Health’s
Informatics Accountable Officer through the National Information Director who chairs the Board.
For more information: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/national-information-board
The purpose of the NIB is to:
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provide leadership across health and care organisations on information technology and
information
design and develop the vision, strategy and direction for the health and care system through
engagement with partners and stakeholders, including industry
ensure that priorities for investment and delivery are clear
provide the annual commissioning priorities for the Health and Social Care Information Centre
(HSCIC) and turn these into an agreed delivery plan
NIB’s objectives are to:
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bring together health and care system organisations to enable a joined up approach to
information technology and information
develop a framework which will include a plan to guide commissioning of information technology
and information programmes
provide the annual commissioning priorities for HSCIC and turn these into an agreed delivery
plan
provide advice on resources and priorities to the Department of Health’s Informatics Accountable
Officer (IAO)
lead information technology and information plans cross health and care
seek out innovation and developments within the informatics field and ensure these appropriately
influence strategic direction
develop and share best practice developments to encourage their use elsewhere
report annually on the delivery of the framework
ensure that important system-wide principles, such as information governance, are agreed,
adopted and maintained throughout implementation of the framework
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Standards Delivery Assurance Review:
The NIB’s work is organised into Domains, and under these are a number of
programmes:
A. Self-Care and Prevention: We will deliver the online services that patients need to take control of
their own care, which will reduce the pressure on front line services. Programmes:
1. Citizen Identity
2. NHS.UK
3. Health Apps Assessment & Uptake (inc wearables)
4. Widening Digital Participation
B. Urgent and Emergency Care: We will help to deliver the national urgent and emergency care
strategy by providing the digital infrastructure, algorithms and pathways we require. Programmes:
5. Clinical Triage Platform
6. Patient Relationship Management
7. Access to Service Information
8. Out of Hospital Care
C. Transforming General Practice: We will use technology to free GPs from time consuming
administrative tasks and provide patients with online services. Programmes:
D. Integrated Care: We will better inform clinical decision making across all health and care settings
by enabling and enhancing the flow of patient information. Programmes:
1. General Practice Operational Systems
and Services
2. Adopting Existing Technologies in
General Practice
3. Technology for General Practice
Transformation
4. GP Data for Secondary Uses
5. Integrated Care – Business Change
6. Integrated Care – Interoperability and
Architecture
E. Digital Medicines: We will enable and improve pharmacy decision making and outcomes by
providing patients and prescribers with streamlined digital services. Programmes:
9. Digitising Community Pharmacy
10. Pharmacy Supply Chain and Secondary Uses
11. Integrating Pharmacy Across
Care Settings
F. Elective Care: We will improve referral management and provide an improved treatment choice
for patients by automating referrals across the NHS. Programme:
12. Digital Referrals
G. Paper free at the point of care: We will create an NHS “paper free at the point of care” by driving
up levels of digital maturity and by enabling the NHS workforce to better utilise the benefits of digital
technology. Programmes:
13. Driving Digital Maturity
14. Digital Child Health
15. Digital Diagnostics
16. Workforce and Professional Capabilities
H. Data Outcomes for Research and Oversight: We will deliver the health and care information
and insight which is fundamental to informed policy making, commissioning and regulation by
improving information collections, analysis and reporting. Programmes:
17. National Data Services Development
19. Innovative uses of Data
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Standards Delivery Assurance Review:
18. Data Content (inc. GP data, Patient Level
Information Costing Systems (PLICS) and
PCOMS)
I. Infrastructure: We will enable information to move safely and securely across all health and care
settings by providing robust and future-proofed national systems and networks. Programmes:
20. Digital Interoperability Platform and Spine
21. NHSmail2
22. HSCN
23. WiFi
J. Public Trust and Security: We will provide the means for citizens to set their consent
preferences. We will provide confidence that clinical and citizen information is held safely and
securely and protect health and care systems from external threats. Programmes:
24. Cyber-Security
25. National Opt-Out Model
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Standards Delivery Assurance Review:
Annex B: NHS Digital Standards and Services
See embedded document which describes the standards and services currently provided by the NHS
Digital:
NHS Digital
Standards Products and Services.dotx
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Standards Delivery Assurance Review:
Annex C: Standards Delivery Assurance Review: Questions for External
Stakeholders
When complete, please email to: [email protected]
Interview details:
a. Interviewer(s):
b. Date of interview:
c. Interviewee(s):
d. Job Title(s):
e. Organisation/Programme (eg, NIB domain/programme if applicable):
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Standards Delivery Assurance Review:
The following questions are in 3 sections:
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Section One: Tactical (primarily for interviewees with knowledge of process)
Section Two: Strategy
Section Three: Additional questions for NIB Leads if not covered in above questions:
As necessary, interviewer/interviewee to agree which questions are relevant
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Standards Delivery Assurance Review:
Questions for External Stakeholders
Section One:
No.
Strategy
Question
STRAT
1
What do you think are the key standards objectives and challenges for the wider health and care system in the next 5 years? Do you
have a view on what, if any, tactical quick wins might be and why?
STRAT
2
What do you think standards are, and their role is, in achieving Paperless 2020 goals?
(If relevant to interviewee): How well does your NIB Domain/Programme is in terms of engagement and influencing Informatics
Standards? Have you identified any dependencies on the Paperless 2020 programmes to help identify and define potential standards
requirements?
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Standards Delivery Assurance Review:
STRAT
3
What are your key standards objectives or requirements for the next 5 years?
STRAT
4
How dependent are your business plans for the next 5 years on the appropriate development and effective take up of informatics
standards? Can you list 3-5 in order of priority? See supplementary questions below:
STRAT
4b
What are the key considerations for standards uptake from your perspective?
(Do you have links to Roadmaps we could use?)
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Standards Delivery Assurance Review:
STRAT
4c
How ready do you think the relevant organisation/programme(s) are to adopt the key health informatics standards
(e.g. reducing variance on implementation)? What tools/ strategies might you think will improve/ enable better adoption?
STRAT
5
What are the key system-wide key standards challenges and priorities for the next 5 years? How should we go about prioritisation?
STRAT
6
How do you think NHS Digital can help overcome some of the challenges and help deliver the 5 year objectives?
See supplementary questions below:
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Standards Delivery Assurance Review:
STRAT
6a
Considering technical Standards
(e.g., HL7, FHIR)
STRAT
6b
Considering data standards
(e.g. SNOMED CT, NHS dictionary of medicines and devices (dm+d) and products)
STRAT
6c
Considering datasets and flows – extractions and collections
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Standards Delivery Assurance Review:
STRAT
7
How should standards be assured and what role should NHS Digital play in that?
(Is there a difference, for example, between technical standards, data, extraction/ dataset/collection?)
STRAT
8
Are you aware of the Standards products and services NHS Digital offers? NB, This is embedded in Annex B to this document.
See Supplementary questions below:
STRAT
8a
Which Standards products and services are you using now?
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Standards Delivery Assurance Review:
STRAT
8b
Would you see yourself using these Standards products and services in the future?
STRAT
8c
Which NHS Digital Standards products and services would you need to use to support you better in the next 5 years?
STRAT
9
How might your organisation/programme work better with NHS Digital in ensuring effective standards delivery and implementation?
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Standards Delivery Assurance Review:
STRAT
10
What do you think the balance should be between the central coordination (and approvals) of standards delivery and implementation
and regional/local activities?
STRAT
11
How do you engage in initiating and delivering health informatics standards now, and does that need to change to meet your 5-year
objectives? What do you think the main obstacles might be?
STRAT
12
How would your programme/organisation optimise and support uptake of health informatics standards? What support do you need?
(Clarifications: how do you do it within your local health care environment? Do you mean Local Authorities/Local Government?)
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Standards Delivery Assurance Review:
STRAT
13
Any other comments?
Thank you very much for answering these questions
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