NHS England mental health datasets#

Last modified: 18 Jul 2025

Summary:

• UK LLC holds two NHS England mental health datasets: Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS) and NHS Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression.
  

• When we refer to MHSDS we include its two precursors, the Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Data Set (MHLDDS) and the Mental Health Minimum Data Set (MHMDS), which were retired in 2016 and 2015, respectively.
  

• The MHSDS and IAPT datasets are increasingly using clinical terminology to capture clinical information, primarily through SNOMED-CT. See the Coded variables guide for further details.
  

• The mental health datasets are complex and change in scope on a typically annual basis. For example, MHSDS comprises around 60 separate datasets and approximately 1000 variables. However, the modular nature of MHSDS means that not all datasets are submitted by all organisations - it depends on the services each organisation provides.
  

• UK LLC is collaborating with experts to improve documentation of these datasets and further information will be added in due course.
  

• Current and past MHSDS data models, user guidance and technical output specifications are available here.
  

• Overall, data quality in the MHSDS is sufficient for analysing data in relation to activity. However, other aspects of the MHSDS are poor, particularly where submission of data items is not mandated. Data can be resubmitted by providers up until the end of the financial year to fix known data quality issues. See the MHSDS data quality dashboard.