Ztest standard4: What are mandatory Information Standards

Information Standards are published under section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, as amended by the Health and Care Act 2022 and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.

NHS England (on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care) maintains a list of published Information Standards which are approved for publication by the Data Alliance Partnership Board (on behalf of Secretary of State).

The publication of an Information Standards Notice sets out the legal basis for an Information Standard, the nature of the legal duty and to whom it applies. An Information Standards Notice is accompanied by a suite of supporting documents to assist with the successful implementation of an Information Standard.

Providers should be aware that as amendments made by the Health and Care Act 2022 have now commenced, you could be asked to provide information on your compliance with an Information Standard for the purposes of monitoring and compliance.