The Mental Health Minimum Dataset (MHMDS) was introduced in 2000 to collect data about adults with mental health issues. It was published in 2008 and retired in 2014. In 2014, the dataset was expanded to include individuals receiving learning disabilities services and was subsequently renamed the Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Dataset (MHLDDS). Then, in 2016, the scope was further broadened to include services such as Children’s Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP-IAPT), Eating Disorders in Children and Young People, and Problem Gambling Services. With this expansion, the dataset was renamed the Mental Health Services Dataset (MHSDS). Currently, UK LLC only receives MHSDS data.

The data which pre-date the MHSDS indicate referral starts etc. which were open before the MHSDS was established. These data submissions were only made for open referrals. No closed referrals are submitted through MHSDS and no data has been brought across from previous datasets (e.g Mental Health Minimum Data Set).

A referral occurs when a person is directed or recommended to a service for support, assessment, or treatment. In the context of the MHSDS, referrals can originate from a wide range of sources or settings, including:

• General Practitioners (GPs)

• Health visitors

• Maternity services

• Self-referrals

• Social services

• Local authorities or public services

• The justice system (e.g. police, courts, probation services, prisons)

• Employers

• Independent services

• Other services (including voluntary services, asylum services, school nurse etc.).

The most common reasons for rejection of a referral are:

• Duplicate referral request (the patient is already undergoing treatment with the same or different care provider)

• Inappropriate referral request (the request is inappropriate for the services offered by the healthcare provider)

• Incomplete referral request (the request does not contain all the required information).

Both the MHSDS and IAPT datasets include people who have been diagnosed with anxiety or depression. However, the information in the MHSDS is only adequate for counts of people with these diagnoses. If you are interested in performing more detailed analyses about people with anxiety and/or depression, you should include the NHS Talking Therapies dataset (IAPT) in your data request/analyses.

In the referrals table (MSH101), the following pairs of variables have the same content, with the second one being the de-identified (‘deid’) version of the first:

• pservcierequestid & servicerequestedid_deid

• puniqservreqid & uniqservreqid_deid

MHSDS is submitted on a monthly basis by providers. The Unique Month ID (UniqMonthID) indicates the month of submission. Month 1 is April of each year, with the value increasing every month thereafter.

The 201 Care Contact table provides details about the type of clinical activity or intervention delivered to the service user. The 202 Care Activity table contains information about the location, duration of the care contact and the schemes used.

The 201 Care Contact table records information about direct care contact services where the patient (or sometimes their carer/family) is in contact with the service. The 204 Indirect Activity table records information where the patient is not present, but the activity still supports their care.