Version: 1.0.2 | Published: 29 Aug 2024 | Updated: 462 days ago

Transfer of Care - Acute Inpatient Discharge Standard

Dataset

Summary

Type:
  • Information standards
  • Technical standards and specifications
Effective From:
01 April 2022
Applies To:
  • NHS Acute Trusts providing ordinary and day case admissions.
  • Independent providers of ordinary/day case admissions in NHS secondary care.
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. Implementation within GP IT systems is managed through NHS Digital’s GP IT Futures framework.
Conformance Date:
31 October 2022
Topics:
  • Continuity of care
  • Key care information
  • Messaging
Care Settings:
Hospital

Documentation

Associated Media:
Description:

This information standard presents a combined product which aims to improve patient care through the digital transfer of structured inpatient and day case discharge documents from secondary care to GP practices.

This is achieved through bringing together multiple components (“layers”) to support the recording of information and the onward transmission to, and receipt by, GP IT systems.

These layers are:

  • Clinical: use of the Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB) eDischarge standard as the underlying information model (at release 2.1).
  • Terminology: alignment with the national information standards SCCI0034 SNOMED CT and SCCI0052 Dictionary of medicines and devices (dm+d).
  • Technology and representation: use of Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) profiles to pull together the structured information required to send to the GP IT system.
  • Transport: use of the Message Exchange for Social Care and Health (MESH) for the transmission of the FHIR representation to the GP IT system.

The standard helps to achieve the ambitions of the NHS Digital Transfer of Care initiative and is the first in a series of standards to be released over the coming months (covering emergency care, mental health and outpatient settings). While the Transfer of Care initiative has been mandated by the NHS Standard Contract, it has only lately been possible for all GP IT systems to successfully receive the discharge correspondence through this initiative.

Is Part Of:
  • Transfer of Care Initiative
    The Transfer of Care initiative has been mandated by the NHS Standard Contract. It includes a group of related standards covering inpatient, emergency care, mental health and outpatient settings.

Document Control

Sponsor:
Dave Turner, Chief Technology Officer, NHS England and NHS Improvement
Approval Date:
31 January 2022
Business Lead:
Mike Moore, Project Manager, NHS Digital
Post Implementation Review Date:
31 October 2023
Scope:
NHS Services
SRO:
Ian Townend, Chief Architect, NHS England and NHS Improvement
Technical Committee:
Data Alliance Partnership Board (DAPB)
Mandated:
Yes
Status:
active

Legal Authorities

Legal Authority:
Section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012
Legal Authority Description:
This information standard is published under section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Conformance with this standard is a requirement of the NHS Standard Contract, Service Condition 11.