MDS annual questionnaires

Forms for the MDS Data Collection

Format of the questionnaires

Each form has an accompanying Guide which follows the format of the questionnaires and gives more guidance on how a particular question is to be interpreted.   These Guides will be updated in the light of difficulties and queries which arise during the first years of use.

What should we be recording?

You will need to check that you are recording all the information required.  This may well be different from data you keep at present.

Which forms should we complete?

Many services provide care which falls outside their nominal remit.  For example health professionals working in an inpatient unit may visit patients in their own homes.  This should be recorded as a ‘home care’ consultation, using Section 3.  Consultations which take place in Day Care should be recorded, either as an outpatient consultation (see Section 6), or as a Day Therapy consultation (Section 2), as appropriate.  Detailed descriptions of ‘what to count where’ are included in each section of the Guides.

Teams providing an integrated service, at home and in the hospital, should complete both Section 3 and Section 4 – see Guides for further details on how to record.

Where do we send the forms?

Please email the forms to mdsforms@ncpc.org.uk

When do the forms need to be returned by?

Services usually have around two months to collate and submit their data after the data request is sent in late March.

Download the MDS forms and guides

The Primary Diagnosis sections of the forms refer to the ICD-10 classifications from the World Health Organisation. Lists of these diagnosis codes and the conditions they refer to can be found on the WHO website. 

Further information

If you have any questions about the forms or the Guides, or can suggest ways in which the Guides be improved to make them clearer, please contact us.