Memorandum submitted by the Information
Centre for health and social care
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
— The Information Centre for health
and social care (IC) is already constituted as an independent
arms length organisation.
— Its governance structure provides
a model for the independent production of National Statistics.
— More clarification is required on
a number of HM Treasury's proposals.
— Reforms must improve public confidence.
— Early access to data should be reviewed.
CONTENT
1. This memorandum:
— Provides background information about
The IC (including its corporate objectives, services and official
statistics).
— Outlines governance arrangements
for The IC.
— Outlines The IC's role in building
public confidence in official information and statistics.
— Outlines a number of observations
and issues relating to the Treasury's proposals.
BACKGROUND—THE
INFORMATION CENTRE
2. The IC was established as an independent
organisation on 1 April 2005. It brought together functions previously
in the Department of Health (DH), NHS Information Authority (IA)
and West Yorkshire Strategic Health Authority. The IC is independent,
and has a fully operating board (see below) and is located in
Leeds. The Chief Executive is a statistician. The IC's constitution
and governance structures have similarities to the proposal encapsulated
for the ONS in the Treasury's consultation document.
3. The IC employs 350 permanent staff in
the collection, management, analysis and publication of health
and social care information; and uniquely its staff are NHS employees
and not Civil Servants (although some transferred from the Government
Statistical Service [GSS] and are currently employed under civil
service terms and conditions).
4. The organisation is working to change
the information culture to ensure the public can readily access
quality information about health and social care; and also strengthen
the capacity for informed decision making and policy making in
the NHS front line. It is fully committed to building public confidence
in official statistics relating to health and social care. The
IC is also working to reduce the burden placed on the frontline
in making data returns by co-ordinating information requirements
across a wide range of bodies. Key corporate objectives for The
IC include:
— Providing information of integrity.
— Providing effective access to information.
— Developing an information culture.
— Supporting policy development and
research.
The IC's Services
5. The IC provides a diverse range of information
services including for example: the production and publication
of National Statistics (NS) and other Official Statistics; National
clinical audit services; Casemix services (including the development
of Healthcare Resource Groups to support Payment by Results);
work on the customer interface to the NHS care record Secondary
Uses Service (SUS); Health informatics standards and networks;
Review of central data returns by NHS organisations; and Prescribing
Support Unit. Further information is available on the internet
at: http://www.ic.nhs.uk
The IC's Official Statistics
6. The IC is one of the biggest organisations
outside ONS that produces official statistical information. Each
year The IC issues approximately 30-40 discrete National Statistics
(NS) releases. Most of these are annual publications, although
some are biennial or triennial.
7. The IC produces and publishes a diverse
range of statistical information (both NS and non-NS), including
for example: statistics on NHS contraceptive services, admissions
of people to hospital with mental health conditions, information
on the NHS workforce, data on GP practices including remuneration,
vacancies and patient care, immunisation statistics, Health Survey
for England and pharmacy and prescribing information. Further
information about The IC's annual publications is on the internet
at: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs
GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS
FOR THE
IC
8. The organisation was set up as a special
health authority by the Secretary of State for Health by Statutory
Instrument (The Health and Social Care Information Centre—Establishment
and Constitution—Order 2005, Statutory Instrument 2005 No
499) on 1 April 2005. As an independent arms length body it has
particular governance structures.
9. The Board of the Information Centre
consists of a Chair, five Non-Executive Directors, a Chief
Executive and three Executive Directors. They have primary responsibility
for key objectives and developing policy and strategy. There are
three Board sub-committees on Audit and Risk, on Information and
Statistical Governance, and on Remuneration, all chaired by Non-Executive
Directors.
10. The Chairman is personally responsible
for ensuring that The IC's policies are compatible with those
of the Secretary of State for Health and for probity in the conduct
of The IC's affairs.
11. The Chief Executive is responsible
for ensuring that the requirements of Government accounting are
met and that proper procedures are followed for ensuring the regularity
and propriety of the public funds administered by The IC.
12. Non-Executive Directors have
the responsibility to constructively challenge and contribute
to the development of strategy; to scrutinise the performance
of management in meeting agreed goals and objectives and monitor
the reporting of performance; to satisfy themselves that financial
information is accurate and that financial controls and systems
of risk management are robust and defensible; and to ensure the
board acts in the best interests of the public and is fully accountable
to the public for the services provided by the organisation and
the public funds it uses.
13. Executive members have corporate
responsibility for ensuring that The IC complies with statutory
or administrative requirements for the use of public funds; for
establishing the overall strategic direction of The IC within
the policy and resources framework agreed with the responsible
Minister; and for ensuring that the Board operates within the
limits of its statutory authority and any delegated authority
agreed with the DH.
14. The Board carries out business in a
transparent fashion with public Board meetings and papers being
made public via The IC website: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/boardpapers/ICfolder_view_
THE IC'S
ROLE IN
BUILDING PUBLIC
CONFIDENCE
15. The IC places considerable emphasis
on its role and responsibilities in building public confidence
in all Official Statistics (ie including those beyond health and
social care information). Moreover, its independent status and
governance arrangements means it is uniquely well placed to build
public confidence. In particular it has four main strengths that
are critical to this:
(a) The IC works closely and directly with
a wide range of stakeholders inside and outside of Government.
By doing so, it is delivering and developing information for a
wide range of user needs and thus improving public confidence.
(b) Non-Executive influence on The IC's Board
and accountability of the Chief Executive supports independence.
The Board and its sub-committees are committed to creating reputations
for the integrity and independence for all The IC's services and
statistical information products.
(c) Developing and promoting common standards
and best practice. The IC is developing a key role in the NHS
and social care that parallels that of the ONS across the GSS.
Developing data standards and promoting best practice supports
more efficient and informed use of information that is collected
across a federation of central and local organisations in health
and social care.
(d) It brings together staff, skills and
expertise drawn from across health and social care involving a
range of information services. New products and services must
meet and respond to users' changing needs, and ensure information
is of the highest integrity and fitness for purpose.
TREASURY'S
PROPOSALS: OBSERVATIONS
AND COMMENTS
16. The IC wishes to flag a number of issues
that it believes require further discussion and reflection during
the consultation process in order to contribute to the drafting
and presentation of legislation. Many of these points directly
affect The IC which operates as an independent special health
authority.
ONS, Governing Board and Chief Statistician
17. The governance structure of The IC provides
a model of an independent body producing NS which has a governing
board and associated structures and arrangements for non-executive
appointments.
18. Clarification is required regarding
the specific roles and responsibilities of the proposed Chief
Statistician and Independent Governing Board. More importantly,
given its own unique status as an independent body and producer
of National Statistics, The IC seeks clarification about how and
when its Chief Executive will be accountable to the Chief Statistician
and Independent Governing Board.
19. The IC welcomes the proposal that the
Board will assess and designate National Statistics against NS
Codes to ensure quality standards. We look forward to discussions
about how quality will be assured.
National Statistics Briefing and Early Access
20. As an Arms Length Body it is essential
we are seen to be truly and completely independent. In doing so
public confidence and integrity are supported. To this end The
IC welcomes a review of the current process of early-access to
data.
Devolved administrations and independent bodies
21. There is a need to broaden the scope
of the consultation to producers of all National Statistics and
Official Statistics across the whole of the decentralised UK Official
Statistics System. In health and social care there are a number
of Arms Length Bodies who may produce National Statistics (eg
the Commission for Social Care Inspection produce "Social
Services Performance Assessment Framework Indicators").
Government Statistical Service
22. There is a need for a structure that
acknowledges that individuals producing National Statistics may
not be Civil Servants.
May 2006
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