Background

Information Standard DCB0090 describes changes to Organisation code format and specifically updates to the structure and format of ODS codes that Suppliers must be able to handle. 

For further information see: Health and Social Care Organisation Reference Data

Outline Plan

• See dates above

Summary of Change

Data Standards

Updated requirements

Full Specification

The following new versions of existing Standard(s) have now been published to support this National Standard:

• Data Standard v2.0.0

Link to the Information Standard and supporting documentation

• DCB0090: Health and Social Care Organisation Reference Data

Further information aimed at helping users fully understand the changes, and its impact, can be found at the link below:

https://hscic.kahootz.com/connect.ti/O_D_S/grouphome?done=GRPJustJoined

Users can subscribe here to the Organisation Data Service newsletter, and other NHS Digital bulletins.

Assurance Approach

The structure and format for many of the codes issued by ODS will change to ANANA on 1 October 2020. Note that this doesn’t apply to all organisation types. This is a standard structure of five alternating alphabetic and numeric characters, for example A1B2C. Existing codes will be unchanged. The change will apply only to codes issued from 1 October 2020 onwards for those organisation types which are in scope.

GP IT Futures onboarded Suppliers must undertake an impact assessment of their system(s) for the above and advise Solution Assurance of the outcome: whether their system(s) can handle the new structure and format of the ODS codes without any changes to their system(s) or if changes are required.

If no changes are required to their system(s), the supplier will self-certify compliance to aspects of DCB0090 regarding the structure and format of organisation codes.

If any changes are required to their system(s) and the supplier requires any test data or test environment support to test the changes, the supplier can advise Solution Assurance of their test support needs to achieve and self-certify compliance.

Impact assessment should include, but should not be limited to, consideration of:

• system use of the structure of the ODS code determine organisation type (e.g. prior to the ANANA change a Trust was three characters starting with R)
• system design that uses the assumption that a site code can be truncated to form the Trust code
• any field length restrictions on systems / screens / schema etc. that require update to deal with 5 character codes