The Department is committed to ensuring the value of information collected fully justifies the cost of collection, while also ensuring that information required to manage the service, monitor performance and measure activity within the national health service is available. As priorities change, statistical collections are reviewed and may be dropped or revised, or new collections may be implemented.
The Information Centre for health and social care is responsible for the regulation of all requests for information from the national health service by the Department, its associated arms length bodies, other public bodies and the private sector. The Information Centre's review of central returns process ensures that central collections of information are appropriate to their purpose, do not duplicate existing collections, and minimise the burden on the NHS in submitting the data.