Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the launch of the Acute Data Alignment Programme, what measures they plan to introduce to ensure that independent healthcare providers can collect and submit data in the same way as NHS providers.

Engagement with key stakeholders including independent healthcare providers and organisations who represent such providers will be crucial to the success of the Acute Data Alignment Programme. A communications plan is currently being developed which will identify the timing and method of communication. The Programme will engage relevant stakeholder groups as the work develops.

The initial objectives of the Programme will be to understand the issues and potential barriers to aligning the information collected for both National Health Service funded and private patients. This will inform the proposed approach which will be published for open consultation prior to the implementation phase.

The Programme is designed to improve alignment between data collection and management across sectors to increase transparency for patients, commissioners, clinicians and the providers themselves. This will include general practitioners.

Phase one of the Programme will see co-operation between all parties to accelerate publication of information mandated by the Competition and Markets Authority following its Private Healthcare Market Investigation Order 2014. Phase two will aim to redirect the flow of data for approximately 750,000 privately funded hospital episodes each year to NHS Digital. A public consultation on the scope and objectives will be launched later this year.