New coding arrangements for Healthcare Science December 3 rd Presented by Nick Armitage, Health and Social Care Information Centre

New coding arrangements for Healthcare Science Why are we making these changes? The Modernising Scientific Careers team estimate that Healthcare Science staff represent about 5% of the total NHS workforce in England and Wales…...but they influence about 80% of all diagnostic decisions They regard the current information on the Healthcare Science workforce as being inadequate for workforce planning and in need of updating Key amongst this is that many of the 50+ scientific specialisms are not currently catered for satisfactorily within the NWD and hence the ESR The HSCIC saw this as an opportunity to road test updating workforce data standards more widely Where are we now?

Modernising Scientific Careers

Modernising Scientific Careers About 16,000 headcount (~30% of HCS workforce)

New coding arrangements for Healthcare Science What have we done? A project with multiple stakeholders, the piloting of values and now… In October 2013 published the updated NWD2.6 Specification here and Occupation Code Manual Version 12 here – including the new HCS values. here Recently published and Indicative Job Title Coding Guidance Document, that is the first of a planned series of guidance documents here, others to follow soon.here In addition the ESR Central team have issued UN1828 notifying users of the changes and providing links to further information.UN1828 Further detail in slides used in recent data quality roadshowsquality roadshows

New coding arrangements for Healthcare Science NWD version 2.6 and NHS Occupation Code Manual version 12 were approved by ISB during April following a clarification on issues raised at their March Board – ISN published towards the end of May – mostly focussing on HCS changesISN This uplift is the first to see both the NWD and the NHS Occupation Code Manual combined into one overarching standard to be handled together in future by ISBstandard Values expected to be implemented in ESR release 21 in late December 2013 – plenty of time before to begin preparing the information on the existing HCS workforce for these updates – updated existing records should be effective from 01/01/2014 Following the updates the old ‘T’ Occupation Codes and Job Roles will be closed and no longer available for new positions – switch to new ‘U’ Occ Codes, new Job Roles and updated AoW values. Enhancements to the ESR interface will pave the way for the mass-update facility for updating existing records once checked and confirmed by individual organisations. More detail on the precise information required and the template to use etc. in the ESR User Notice: UN1828UN1828 Significant communications plan being developed, targeted at different levels and through different mechanisms – plans to get senior buy-in and provide sufficient detail to ensure that the changes are interpreted consistently What do the new values look like?

Changes to the workforce classifications for Healthcare Scientists and how it will be handled in the NWD and ESR; Add screen shots of U Matrix, AoW suggestions and list of Job Role values for HCS

New coding arrangements for Healthcare Science The changed HCS values for Staff Group / Job Role include deletions, additions and one value which has not changed: Healthcare Scientists  Clinical Scientist  Consultant Healthcare Scientist  Biomedical Scientist (inc Advanced Practitioner Biomedical Scientific Officer)  Technician  Therapist  Manager  Specialist Healthcare Scientist  Healthcare Scientist  Specialist Healthcare Science Practitioner  Healthcare Science Practitioner Additional Clinical Services  Healthcare Science Associate  Healthcare Science Assistant  Trainee Healthcare Scientist  Trainee Healthcare Science Practitioner  Trainee Healthcare Science Associate All values need to be considered even for Consultant Healthcare Scientists to ensure that the data held is correct and that any previous data quality issues are not replicated in the data going forward – also positions not currently coded as HCS which should be Guidance materials to include HCS focused version of Job Role and AoW guide, Indicative Job Title to coding guide and extensive notes in occupation code manual – will be living documents and comments will be welcome to

New coding arrangements for Healthcare Science – Mass Update facility Current facility updates Job Role – enhanced to enable changes to Occ Code and Area of Work Process: –Trust raises Service Request (SR) –ESR Interface Team supplies template –Trust returns completed details (HR and Scientists working together) –Changes are applied to Positions Details included in User Notice 1828User Notice 1828 Trusts may need to split those currently in one Position into two or more Positions where new values and associated data cleanse introduce differences – HR teams will rely upon Science managers to support them in this. Can choose to proceed manually rather than use the Mass Update facility – no problem – still needs input from HR and Scientists working together. To handle existing positions only, new positions must be created manually – need processes in place to ensure sufficient detail is provided by Science managers to HR teams to make the right choices when coding new posts.

New coding arrangements for Healthcare Science What next??? –Communications & guidance out throughout 2013/14 –Implemented in ESR late December 2013 –ESR Administrators / HR and Workforce leads to be supported by local Healthcare Science managers –HSCIC begin monitoring uptake of new values in March 2014 –Data verification exercise from July 2014 –New data to appear in 2014 Workforce Census Existing positions to be set effective from 01/01/2014 when updated to new values – create a clean cut-off Not just positions with ‘T’ HCS Occupation Codes – whole workforce Importance of Area of Work for capture of HCS Specialism – new focus on this element of the data going forward

New coding arrangements for Healthcare Science Data in monthly / quarterly publications through 2014? Enhanced data quality exercises through WOVEN / BI reporting?WOVEN Decommissioning old values? Scientific networks available for points of reference First change of this scale and type – welcome feedback and suggestions for improvements Guidance to be ‘living documents’, to be updated regularly and innovative elements to be applied to guidance focused on other aspects of the workforce Two-way process – success depends on HR/Workforce and Scientific colleagues working together!

Q&A