Table 2 Routine datasets. This shows the national datasets available for analysis, their intended function and the patient-specific information that can be collected from the different databases

PDS (Personal Demographics Service)

National electronic database and component part of the NHS Spine (the national databases of information regarding patients’ health and care)

• Name

• Address

• Date of birth

• NHS Number

• Date of death

HES (Hospital Episodes Statistics)

Patient care data of all patients treated by the NHS in England (including private patients treated in NHS hospitals and patients resident outside England receiving treatment funded by the NHS)

• Dates of all hospital encounters including admissions and discharge dates, outpatient appointments, and A&E attendances.

• Diagnoses

• Operations

• Age group

• Gender

• Ethnicity

• Area of patient’s residence

SACT (Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy)

Clinical management information on patients undergoing chemotherapy in (or funded by) the NHS in England.

• Demographics- including commissioner and provider initiating treatment

• Clinical status-diagnosis, performance status, treatment intent

• Programme and regimen- drug details, cycle and regime number, supportive medications, treatment dates

• Outcome- regimen modification eg. dose reductions, cycle delays, early termination of treatment, and outcome summary.

RTDS (Radiotherapy Dataset)

Clinical management information on patients undergoing radiotherapy treatment collected locally by radiotherapy centres and submitted to the National Clinical Analysis and Specialised Applications Team.

• Demographics- commissioner and provider initiating treatment

• Clinical status- diagnosis, treatment intent, history of previous radiotherapy (diagnosis relating to that treatment, treatment intent, dose, fractionation, site treated, dates of referral and of treatment).

• Dose prescription- dose and fractionation regime, treatment site

• Outcome- actual dose delivered, treatment dates