Version: 1.0.8 | Published: 1 Dec 2025 | Updated: 3 days ago

Mental Health Services Data Set

Dataset

Summary

Type:
  • Collections
  • Information standards
Effective From:
01 April 2024
Applies To:
  • All organisations directly providing specialist secondary mental health services
  • All organisations directly providing specialist secondary disability services
  • All organisations directly providing specialist secondary autism services
  • NHS Mental Health Trusts
  • NHS Acute Trusts
  • NHS Community Trusts
  • Independent providers offering a service model for NHS/non-NHS funded patients
  • Any qualified providers offering a service model for NHS/non-NHS funded patients
Impacts On:
Implementation of this information standard impacts all health IT systems suppliers providing systems to the above providers; suppliers should work with their customers to determine necessary changes.
Conformance Date:
31 May 2024
Topics:
  • Data definitions and terminologies
  • Reference data
Care Settings:
  • Community health
  • Hospital
  • Mental health
Alternate Name:
MHSDS

Documentation

Description:

The Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS) is a patient level, output based, secondary uses data set which aims to deliver robust, comprehensive, nationally consistent and comparable person-based information for all patients who are in contact with Mental Health Services. It covers services located in England or located outside England but treating patients commissioned by an English Integrated Care Board (ICB) or NHS England specialised commissioner, or an NHS-led Provider Collaborative. As a secondary uses data set it re-uses clinical and operational data for purposes other than direct patient care, for example: commissioning, service improvement and service design. It defines the data items, definitions and associated value sets extracted or derived from local information systems.

Data relating to Access to Adult Psychological Therapies is excluded from this collection.

About this change

The proposed updates to MHSDS will ensure the collection remains up to date with current policy and continues to support the NHS Long Term Plan. The changes also focus on the following key areas:

  • Reducing burden on providers wherever possible by identifying tables and data items for removal.
  • Reducing burden through limiting duplication of data collection with other national data sets (such as with the Assuring Transformation (AT) standard, which has various similarities with MHSDS).
  • Support for improved data completeness and quality through aligning the data set with evolving models for delivery of care:
    • Making sure the data set contains the relevant codes to more accurately reflect service provision to support programmes such as Learning Disability and Autism
    • Reflecting Delayed Transfers of Care data in line with the latest policy reviews
    • Further development of the MHSDS model to make it easier to flow data, such as for the Restrictive Interventions table
    • Corresponding to feedback from data submitters to address known issues or enhance existing items to ensure local data can be submitted accurately
  • To allow the data set to respond to and support new national reporting requirements, eg. the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act 1983 recommendations.

Corrigendum 6 February, 2024

Since the publication of the current release of this standard, the need for minor corrections to the data set have been identified.

Note that an updated Technical Output Specification (TOS) has been issued and should be read in conjunction with this Corrigendum.

The following documents have also been updated to reflect the changes:

  • NHS Data Model and Dictionary Change Request
  • MHSDS V6.0.0 Change Specification
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