An initiative has been launched to ensure private healthcare data is recorded in the same way as NHS data in England, with the aim of improving consistency across the system.
The Acute Data Alignment Programme (ADAPt) aims to integrate data on privately-funded healthcare into NHS systems and standards for the first time.
This will be an important, practical step in taking forward the safety agenda in the independent sector
This will address a long-standing concern about the lack of visibility of quality in private care and promoting the completeness of patient records, where some care has been received privately.
The programme is being jointly led by NHS Digital and the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN), the CMA-approved information organisation, in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, NHS Improvement, and the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Phase One will see co-operation between all parties to accelerate publication of information mandated by the CMA; while Phase Two will aim to redirect the flow of data for approximately 750,000 privately-funded hospital episodes each year from PHIN to NHS Digital.
A public consultation on the scope and objectives will be launched later this year.
Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said: “Earlier this year, I asked NHS Digital and PHIN to work together to ensure we can see the same standards of transparency in the private sector as in the NHS.
This will improve safety, efficacy and convenience for these patients. In addition, it will provide insights into patient outcomes in the private sector and how they compare to the NHS. These insights will help increase standards of care in both sectors
“The result has been the ADAPt programme, which will drive improvements in data collection and help patients and others understand more about the quality of care.
“This will be an important, practical step in taking forward the safety agenda in the independent sector.”
Sarah Wilkinson, NHS Digital chief executive, added: “Integrating data from private suppliers into NHS systems will improve the completeness of records for patients whose care is split across private and NHS providers.
“This will improve safety, efficacy and convenience for these patients. In addition, it will provide insights into patient outcomes in the private sector and how they compare to the NHS. These insights will help increase standards of care in both sectors.”
In its recent Consumer Connectivity Insights Report, which surveyed more than 8,000 global consumers; MuleSoft found that more than half (51%) of people worldwide (48% in the UK) said they, or someone they knew, had experienced a delay in care due to information not being shared between different healthcare professionals.
It also found that just 26% of UK consumers believed the health service made effective use of all the data it holds from wearable tech and health apps to deliver a better standard of care – much less than the global average of 42%.