Data Access Request for service evaluation and quality initiatives
The role of NOCA is to promote sustainable clinical audit and support informed decisions on how services are delivered and clinical care improved. NOCA is responsible for evaluating audit data and publishing findings arising from national clinical audits.
Information is a valuable resource and as such, wherever possible, it should be collected once and used many times, with appropriate safeguards in place (HIQA, 2013). NOCA will authorise access to clinical audit data for service evaluation and quality purposes in a timely manner. This may be done by NOCA alone or in collaboration with audit processors, with whom NOCA work with to provide national clinical audit.
The NOCA Information Governance Policy refers only to the secondary use of clinical audit data for service provision and quality purposes. Some examples may include:
Health service quality assurance and quality improvement purposes
Performance monitoring e.g. assess if national targets are being met and to identify areas where improvements are required
Planning of services e.g. planning, provision, and measurement of acute hospital services and also for the allocation of resources
Other purposes deemed appropriate by Audit Clinical Governance Committee.