SUPPLEMENTARY MEMORANDUM FROM THE DEPARTMENT
OF HEALTH (continued)
Q (187) 18-week target—data modelling
on the diagnostic waiting times
Answer
1. To support delivery of the 18-week patient
pathway, the Department of Health has been working with 21 pilot
sites from across the NHS during 2005 on developing a diagnostics
waiting times and activity data collection. Drawing on the outcomes
of this work, the new commissioner based diagnostics data collection
will be rolled out to the NHS in January 2006.
2. The pilot sites collected data on waiting
times and activity for a short list of diagnostic tests/procedures.
Details of the sites and diagnostic tests piloted are shown in
the annex below. Pilot diagnostics data collections have helped
refine the list of diagnostic tests/procedures to be included
in the national data collection.
3. Since this has been a pilot exercise,
we have no plans to publish the associated data. The data collected
from the pilots is unvalidated management information collected
to help to refine the list of diagnostic tests/procedures to be
included in the national data collection. Pilot sites submitted
data in the knowledge that it was unvalidated and of variable
data quality. The data may potentially be misleading, therefore,
and it would not be appropriate to publish it.
4. Once we commence the national data collection
in January 2006, we will need to do some preliminary quality assurance
of the data prior to committing to dissemination. However, over
time, we will commence routine publication of data on diagnostic
waiting times and activity and expect the first report to be published
during Spring 2006.
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