The way we use patient data is changing.

Ambulance services are implementing the Ambulance Data Set (ADS). Once fully operational, the ADS will provide a consistent and reliable data source about the care that all ambulance services in England provide to patients.

Although the ADS has no impact on the data we collect as a trust, its rollout will change how our data is used. 

Where applicable, NHS England (Digital) will now match some of the records we collect in our Emergency Departments with ambulance trust data using information such as an NHS number, date of birth, and time of arrival in the ED.

Once linked, the appropriate ambulance trust will receive information on elements of the patient journey - so they know what happened to the patient after they handed over their care.

This process will happen in the following steps:

Step one: the ambulance trust records patient information and shares it with NHS England (Digital)

Step two: NHS England (Digital) links this information with other data sets like the Emergency Care Data Set

Step three: the ambulance trust receives elements of this linked data and uses it for agreed purposes.

This data will allow ambulance trusts to understand what happens to patients after they hand over their care. It will tell them more about the patient journey and enable them to further improve the care they provide in the future.

The sharing of this information has been given approval under Section 251 of the NHS Act, 2006.