New NHS Health Check data codes released

After much collaborative work and with thanks to colleagues in the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), we have an updated set of data codes for the NHS Health Check.

 A set of data codes, sometimes referred to as a data set have been agreed as suitable for collecting information about a specific programme. This is not to be confused with a data standard, which is a data set that has moved through a complex process to assess burden, accuracy, legality in respect to national data extraction etc. Over the next year we will move to having a data standard, subject to acceptance by the relevant authorities within the HSCIC. This will enable us to request national data extracts for the first time to develop a greater understanding of the programme at a national level.

There are a number of new narrative descriptions with codes attached, this is to add detail to reporting where required and to better understand uptake of services.

You will also note for the first time there is a set of SNOMED codes, we have been advised by the HSCIC that:

• Read 2 codes should now only be used for legacy projects and will be phased out over the next couple of years there is no direct support for Read 2 codes any longer 
• CTv3 codes will be phased out some time after Read 2 (perhaps 2017/18) until we get a point where only SNOMED codes are being used (c.2019/2020) 
• this aligns us with the international process of linking reporting under a single reporting system, ie, SNOMED

Time scales for changing to SNOMED are a local decision within the wider health community. Some of the detail on the template may appear confusing but it is there to help data analysts in understanding the scope of the individual SNOMED codes.