Get Involved with the Information Centre

Help us create a vibrant and responsive information market by streamlining access to national data resources. Working together, we can improve the quality and consistency of health information.

We want companies to enter the information services market, because they bring capacity, innovation and competition.

Our pledge is simple: we will encourage openness in the use of NHS and social care information. We welcome independent use of these assets to achieve the aims and objectives of The IC, the NHS and social care services.

E-Suppliers Forum

Commercial organisations can participate in the regular exchange of views and intelligence with The IC through the e-suppliers forum.

Here, commercial organisations can set up joint public and private collaboration sites. Registered users have direct and regular access to The IC's personnel and resources as well as to their own discussion groups. To request to become a member of the forum please log on to: https://www.wave.ic.nhs.uk/Services/ESuppliers/default.aspx

For more information please contact our Commercial ManagementTeam on email CMT@ic.nhs.uk

Amongst the latest companies to register on the forum are Humana, Mede International, Bazian and National Health

Intelligence Service

The Re-Use Policy

The IC is committed to expanding and improving access to the health data it holds, within the regulatory frameworks for; data security, confidentiality, intellectual property and the re-use of public sector information. During the past year a significant amount of work has been undertaken to draw together these differing regulatory threads into a corporate Data Access and Information Sharing Policy which sets out our approach to improving access and increasing the utility of health data.The benefits of this new approach for data users are;

1. a single point of entry for new data requests2. standardised terms and conditions of use 3. creation of a register of our data holdings 4. and on-line access to the appropriate terms and conditions for re-use* .

Implementation of this policy is on-going and the Commercial Management team will ensure delegates are kept informed of implementation progress.

For more information, please contact our Information Governance Team

*The term "re-use" is used here and has the same definition as set out in the 2005 UK Statute - "The Re-Use of Public Sector Information"

Re-Using health and social care data

We are going through a process of simplifying how you find, obtain and use the data we manage. The principle development are:

What we want:

Level playing field Standard extract definition for all users Encourage other companies to develop “value-added” services Make aggregate and summary data widely available Standard charge based on cost of producing the extract, not the “cost” of the data Information providers can charge only on the basis of the value they have added Acknowledgement of the data source Exclusive arrangement with each user Transparency of process and involvement Assurance that users meet security and confidentiality requirements, distinction between internal processing and external transfer of raw data For SUS to comply with its data custodian requirements Ability to seek independent audit Ability to terminate if anyone contravenes the terms and conditions

What we do not want:

The NHS paying for what it already owns Special treatment for any one user Variation in extracts for different providers Linkage with other data sources and inferred identity Small numbers leading to identification of individuals Unmanaged passing of patient-level data to third parties Inappropriate criticism Stifle innovation Bureaucracy