A key aspect of delivering effective and appropriate health care is the availability of robust data and information on which decisions can be based. The introduction of clinical governance and evidence-based practice requires improved access for all NHS staff to information on effective clinical practice and service provision, investment in clinical information systems and information support services and the collection of comparative data from hospital and Primary Care systems.

The National Service Frameworks (NSFs) have set national standards for specific care groups and each is supported by the requirement to implement an associated information strategy. They will be supported by information systems to enable the consistent and comprehensive recording of treatment or care provided and the associated outcomes to support patient care.

This information will be available from a variety of sources and across a range of organisation's across the NHS and Social Care. In order to provide a comprehensive health needs assessment, data required will include: population estimates and forecasts; birth and death statistics; public health data; hospital statistics; social care data and other data sources.

The collation, analysis and presentation of this data will be facilitated by the implementation of robust and fully integrated information systems and the Electronic Patient Record, which underpins the Information for Health Strategy.