Canonical Data Model (CDM)

The Challenge: A Fragmented Data Landscape

Consistent, reliable data is essential for future-proofing the NHS and transforming how we manage and use healthcare information. Currently, using data across the NHS is often like trying to build a jigsaw puzzle with pieces from different sets.

This fragmentation leads to incompatible data, making it difficult to share and analyse. This state can lead to:

• Delays in patient care due to errors in records.

• Challenges in conducting research, slowing medical innovation.

• Wasted resources due to data duplication and inconsistencies.

• Potential patient harm.

Key aspects of the model include:

• Standardised structures: Defining the way the building blocks of data should be put together.

• Relationships: Detailing what parts of data link to each other and why.

• Controlled vocabulary: Ensuring the use of consistent terms and definitions.

We are committed to efficiency; the CDM will align with international standards where appropriate, including OpenEHR for describing clinical elements and FHIR for describing how clinical information should be shared. The CDM is also centrally governed to remain relevant and up to date.

Benefits of the CDM: Better Care, Smarter Insights

By making data shareable without losing its meaning, the CDM will have a significant impact across healthcare delivery, leading to:

Improved Patient Care

Clinicians will have faster access to accurate patient information, reducing delays caused by errors in records and enabling better decisions and coordinated care across the NHS.

Enhanced Research

Researchers will be able to analyse larger, better-quality datasets more easily, helping to drive medical innovation and ultimately improving patient outcomes.

Increased Efficiency and Reduced Waste

By tackling data duplication and inconsistencies, we will free up resources currently focused on remediation, thereby improving operational efficiency across the system.

Technology for Care (Clinical Systems)

The most immediate impact is on patient treatment.

Data underpins core clinical systems (Electronic Patient Records, GP systems, specialised departmental systems, and the NHS App). The CDM is vital for enabling interoperability, ensuring the meaning and integrity of information are preserved during transfer and use between these disparate systems.

Data and Analytics

The sophisticated analysis of healthcare data is critical for effective service delivery. Specialised platforms are used to store data in formats that empower analysts and data scientists. The CDM is fundamental to this process, ensuring that data is collected, stored, and universally understood within these analytical platforms, facilitating seamless linkage and meaningful interpretation.

Data Governance, Assurance, and Testing

These services are crucial for ensuring the successful and robust adoption of the entire data architecture. The CDM is a central component, establishing the quality and rigor needed to guarantee that data is fit for purpose across the NHS.

The CDM also intrinsically links with and supports capabilities like robust metadata management and the data catalogue.

• Data flows can be centrally tested and validated to confirm CDM compliance.

• The CDM's standardised nature will facilitate the automation of these testing processes, improving efficiency and accuracy.

• Adhering to the CDM means organisations are effectively aligning with other relevant Information Standards Notices (ISNs) and broader NHS data standards.

Reference and Master Data

The successful implementation of the CDM hinges on the availability of high-quality, national, authoritative lists for all key NHS reference data, such as organisations, locations, medicines, and clinical terminologies.

• The CDM provides clarity for users regarding the primary reference data it draws upon.

• It guides the prioritisation of this reference data, ensuring standardisation across the health and care system.