Data-linkage project between the UK Bone and Joint Infection Registry (BAJIR) for Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care (HES APC) and mortality data for the purposes of data quality assurance
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust · NHS Trust
In term In term in the September 2026 edition: the latest version runs to 30 June 2027.
- Reference
- DARS-NIC-381948-L9M8Y
- Current version
- v2.2
- Term of current version
- 24 April 2026 to 30 June 2027
- Start date
- 1 July 2024
- Data controller
- Sole Data Controller
- Commercial purposes
- Yes
- Sublicensing
- No
- Files released to date
- 8
Why the data was released
Objective for processing
The Data will be used for the purpose of a feasibility study involving The Bone and Joint Infection Registry (BAJIR).
BAJIR is a national register of information about patients who have suffered a bone or joint infection, including those that occur around existing implants such as hip and knee replacements. The registry is hosted by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
BAJIR receives personal data from several Trusts to build the BAJIR content. Each Trust has an information sharing agreement with Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and they can see record level data on BAJIR only relating to patients in their specific Trust.
NHS England data will be used to examine and update the quality of the data contained within BAJIR that is inputted by local NHS teams to ensure the data is complete and accurate. The local NHS teams will be given sight of NHS England Data (which will be restricted to their own patients) where discrepancies are identified between what the BAJIR database holds and what NHS England hold. The local NHS teams will then compare and update the BAJIR database using data from their own systems.
BAJIR will undertake a feasibility study using two hundred and fifty consented participants who agreed for their data on the BAJIR to be linked to information from NHS information systems. The aim of the feasibility study is to test whether NHS England’s Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) Admitted Patient Care (APC) and Demographics data will help to ensure adequate data quality and completion of the information held in BAJIR, thereby enabling the registry to achieve the aims for which its creation was intended.
Processing activities
Dendrite Clinical Systems Ltd will transfer data to NHS England. The data will consist of identifying details (specifically NHS Number, Date of Birth and a unique person ID) for the cohort to be linked with NHS England data.
NHS England will provide the relevant records from the HES APC data set and Demographic data set to Dendrite Clinical System Ltd. The Data will contain no direct identifying data items but will contain a unique person ID which can be used to link the Data with other record level data already held by the recipient.
Dendrite Clinical Systems Ltd will provide software that automatically links the HES APC and mortality data extracts via the Study ID to the existing cohort health data in the BAJIR and carry out Data Quality Assessment of the data within BAJIR.
During this process reidentification of individuals from the study ID provided by NHS England will be required to map to linked data to specific patients contained within the registry. Trusts will see NHS England data only when there is a discrepancy compared to the data held within BAJIR. Effected patients will be shared with the relevant Individual NHS Trust, who will then review the discrepancy against their own data. In response, the individual NHS Trust will update the BAJIR registry submission using their own local own data. Therefore, the data will be deemed as identifiable.
The identifiable data from NHS England will be fed back to individual trusts, who will only see data for their own Trust to sense check the data inputted to the main BAJIR registry and ensure that all data is up to date (i.e. no comorbidities, further reoperations, etc have been missed).
Clinicians at individual trusts view these discrepancies and review local healthcare records to determine if BAJIR needs to be updated. The BAJIR will be updated by the local teams.
The Data will be stored on servers at Dendrite Clinical Systems Ltd.
Dendrite Clinical Systems Ltd, e-dendrite services are hosted and backed up within the Telehouse data centre in London. The Telehouse data centre is managed by Piksel CareLink. Neither Telehouse data centre nor Piksel CareLink will have access to the data.
The data will be accessed by authorised personnel via remote access.
The Controller(s) must confirm and provide evidence upon audit by NHS England that access via any remote device complies with the data security obligations within this DSA and the Data Sharing Framework Contract.
For remote access:
- Remote access will only be from secure locations situated within the territory of use (as further restricted elsewhere within the DSA if so done) stated within this DSA;
- Access controls granting users the minimum level of access required are in place;
- Remote access is only via secure connections (e.g., VPNs or secure protocols) to protect data;
- Multifactor authentication (MFA) is required for remote access;
- Device security, including up-to-date software and operating systems, antivirus software, and enabled firewalls are utilised for the remote access;
- All remote access is undertaken within the scope of the organisation’s DSPT (or other security arrangements as per this DSA) and complies with the organisation’s remote access policy.
The above applies in addition to any condition set out elsewhere within the DSA (e.g. who may carry out processing, and for what purpose).
The Data will not be linked with any other data outside of this agreement.
Expected output
The expected outputs of the processing will be:
• A report designed to feed information back to NHS Hospital Trusts regarding discrepancies between the data contained within BAJIR and the extract of the HES data. This will allow appropriate investigation to be performed to determine if the BAJIR records require updated. Where applicable, some patient records may be automatically updated as a result of the information contained within the resultant HES extract.
• An upload of relevant reports to Trusts
The outputs will not contain NHS England Data and will only contain aggregated information with small numbers suppressed as appropriate in line with the relevant disclosure rules for the dataset(s) from which the information was derived.
Expected measurable benefits
The main aim of this processing described is to ensure accuracy of the BAJIR dataset, so that all processing that occurs is done so against accurate information.
The Data provided will be utilised to assess how accurate records held within BAJIR currently are and how the data collection process can be improved. The registry will benefit from increased accuracy of the data collected within it.
Patients may also benefit directly as it may make their treating clinical teams aware of something they were previously not aware of (for example, a new diagnosis of Diabetes that may influence clinical management).
Benefits reported so far
Work is ongoing and as such, no benefits have been yielded to date.
Datasets on the current version
Legal basis for provision: Health and Social Care Act 2012 – s261(2)(c)
| Dataset | Type of data | Sensitivity | Frequency | Confidential data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | Identifiable | Sensitive | One-Off | Consent (Reasonable Expectation) |
| Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care (HES APC) | Identifiable | Non-Sensitive | One-Off | Consent (Reasonable Expectation) |
Files released
Files released counts only files released externally by DARS. Access granted in NHS England's own systems, such as its Secure Data Environment, is not included.
Patient opt-outs were applied to 1 of the 8 files released under this agreement, across every version. About opt-outs
No files recorded as released under the current version. 8 were released under earlier versions, shown in the version history.
Version history
The register lists each renewal of this agreement as a separate row. This site has 3 versions.
DARS-NIC-381948-L9M8Y-v2.2 24 April 2026 to 30 June 2027
- Title
- Data-linkage project between the UK Bone and Joint Infection Registry (BAJIR) for Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care (HES APC) and mortality data for the purposes of data quality assurance
- Commercial
- Yes
- Sublicensing
- No
- Datasets
- 2
- Files released
- 0
Datasets: Demographics; Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care (HES APC)
What changed from DARS-NIC-381948-L9M8Y-v1.2
Text removed is struck through; text added is underlined. Unchanged paragraphs are summarised rather than repeated.
| Field | Was | Became |
|---|---|---|
| Start date | 2026-04-24 | |
| End date | 2027-06-30 |
Objective for processing
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust requires access to NHS England data
The Data will be used
for the purpose of
the following
a
feasibility study involving The Bone and Joint Infection Registry (BAJIR).
[4 paragraphs unchanged]
The following NHS England data will be accessed:
• Hospital Episode Statistics
- Admitted Patient Care (APC) - necessary to provide information for service evaluation and data completeness, by collecting hospital admissions, complications and co-morbidities.
- Demographics - Date of Death necessary to identify patients who die after consenting to the data linkage for service evaluation and data completeness.
The level of the Data will be:
• Identifiable – necessary because although the Data contains no direct identifying details, the Data will be compared with the data held on the BAJIR to ensure data completion. If a discrepancy is found on the BAJIR, then the information is checked with the NHS Trusts. In order to do this the cohort member will be re-identified to ensure data completeness of the BAJIR.
The data will be minimised as follows:
• Limited to data for a study cohort of approximately 250 consented patients selected from the BAJIR Registry
• Limited to data from 2017/18 (when the BAJIR was established). The Data will be further restricted from each individual’s 1st bone/joint infection.
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is the Controller as the organisation responsible for ensuring that the data will only be processed for the purpose described above.
The lawful basis for processing personal data under the UK GDPR is:
Article 6(1)(e) - processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.
The lawful basis for processing special category data under the UK GDPR is:
Article 9 (2)(h) - processing is necessary for the purpose of the provision of health or social care or treatment, or the management of health and social care systems.
The BAJIR registry is self-funded by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and accepts charitable donations. Donations has been provided by various commercial organisations as follows:
ConvaTec, Biocomposites, Bonesupport, Depuy Synthes, Heraeus, implantcast, stryker, Zimmer Biomet, Link, Smith & Nephew and Adler, as part of the Revision Knee Network Project
The funding and donations are not specifically targeted towards this feasibility study but is for the overall function of the Registry.
The donators have no ability to suppress or otherwise limit the publication of findings.
Dendrite Clinical Systems Ltd is a Processor acting under the instructions of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust..
Data will only be accessed by individuals who are substantive employees of the organisations named as the data controller or processor, in addition to those working in the NHS Trusts.
BAJIR STEERING COMMITTEE
BAJIR is hosted by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and overseen by steering committee of medical professionals including orthopaedic surgeons and microbiology doctors who specialise in treating these bone and joint infections.
Processing activities
Dendrite Clinical Systems Ltd will transfer data to NHS England. The data will consist of
the following
identifying details
(specifically NHS Number, Date of Birth and a unique person ID)
for the cohort to be linked with NHS England
data
data.
• NHS number
• Study ID
• Date of Birth.
[3 paragraphs unchanged]
The identifiable data from NHS England will be fed back to individual trusts, who will only see data for their own Trust to sense check the data inputted to the main BAJIR registry and ensure that all data is up to date (i.e. no comorbidities, further reoperations, etc have been missed).
Clinicians at individual trusts view these discrepancies and review local healthcare records to determine if BAJIR needs to be updated. The BAJIR will be updated by the local teams.
[3 paragraphs unchanged]
Dendrite Clinical Systems Ltd
The Controller(s)
must confirm and provide evidence upon audit by NHS England that access via any remote device complies with the data security obligations within this
Data Sharing Agreement (DSA)
DSA
and the Data Sharing Framework Contract.
[8 paragraphs unchanged]
The Data will not
leave England at
be linked with
any
time.
other data outside of this agreement.
Access is restricted to the NHS Trusts who are permitted to access the identifiable data only.
The identifiable data from NHS England will be fed back to individual trusts, who will only see data for their own Trust to sense check the data inputted to the main BAJIR registry and ensure that all data is up to date (i.e. no comorbidities, further reoperations, etc have been missed).
Clinicians at individual trusts view these discrepancies and review local healthcare records to determine if BAJIR needs to be updated. The BAJIR will be updated by the local teams.
All personnel accessing the data have been appropriately trained in data protection and confidentiality.
The Data will not be linked with any other data.
NHS Trusts will process the Data for the purposes described above.
Expected output
[2 paragraphs unchanged]
•
An upload of relevant reports to Trusts
will be performed within one month of receipt of the data.
The outputs will not contain NHS England Data and will only contain aggregated information with small numbers suppressed as appropriate in line with the relevant disclosure rules for the dataset(s) from which the information was derived.
Benefits reported
Data was only recently received due to an unforeseen delay in its provision. As a result, an extension is being requested to ensure the data can be fully utilised in accordance with the original application
Work is ongoing and as such, no benefits have been yielded to date.
Unchanged: Expected measurable benefits.
DARS-NIC-381948-L9M8Y-v1.2 18 April 2025 to 30 June 2026
- Title
- Data-linkage project between the UK Bone and Joint Infection Registry (BAJIR) for Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care (HES APC) and mortality data for the purposes of data quality assurance
- Commercial
- Yes
- Sublicensing
- No
- Datasets
- 2
- Files released
- 0
Datasets: Demographics; Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care (HES APC)
What changed from DARS-NIC-381948-L9M8Y-v0.28
Text removed is struck through; text added is underlined. Unchanged paragraphs are summarised rather than repeated.
| Field | Was | Became |
|---|---|---|
| Start date | 2025-04-18 | |
| End date | 2026-06-30 |
Benefits reported
Yielded Benefits is not a requirement for new applications.
Data was only recently received due to an unforeseen delay in its provision. As a result, an extension is being requested to ensure the data can be fully utilised in accordance with the original application
Unchanged: Objective for processing, Processing activities, Expected output, Expected measurable benefits.
Objective for processing
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust requires access to NHS England data for the purpose of the following feasibility study involving The Bone and Joint Infection Registry (BAJIR).
BAJIR is a national register of information about patients who have suffered a bone or joint infection, including those that occur around existing implants such as hip and knee replacements. The registry is hosted by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
BAJIR receives personal data from several Trusts to build the BAJIR content. Each Trust has an information sharing agreement with Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and they can see record level data on BAJIR only relating to patients in their specific Trust.
NHS England data will be used to examine and update the quality of the data contained within BAJIR that is inputted by local NHS teams to ensure the data is complete and accurate. The local NHS teams will be given sight of NHS England Data (which will be restricted to their own patients) where discrepancies are identified between what the BAJIR database holds and what NHS England hold. The local NHS teams will then compare and update the BAJIR database using data from their own systems.
BAJIR will undertake a feasibility study using two hundred and fifty consented participants who agreed for their data on the BAJIR to be linked to information from NHS information systems. The aim of the feasibility study is to test whether NHS England’s Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) Admitted Patient Care (APC) and Demographics data will help to ensure adequate data quality and completion of the information held in BAJIR, thereby enabling the registry to achieve the aims for which its creation was intended.
The following NHS England data will be accessed:
• Hospital Episode Statistics
- Admitted Patient Care (APC) - necessary to provide information for service evaluation and data completeness, by collecting hospital admissions, complications and co-morbidities.
- Demographics - Date of Death necessary to identify patients who die after consenting to the data linkage for service evaluation and data completeness.
The level of the Data will be:
• Identifiable – necessary because although the Data contains no direct identifying details, the Data will be compared with the data held on the BAJIR to ensure data completion. If a discrepancy is found on the BAJIR, then the information is checked with the NHS Trusts. In order to do this the cohort member will be re-identified to ensure data completeness of the BAJIR.
The data will be minimised as follows:
• Limited to data for a study cohort of approximately 250 consented patients selected from the BAJIR Registry
• Limited to data from 2017/18 (when the BAJIR was established). The Data will be further restricted from each individual’s 1st bone/joint infection.
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is the Controller as the organisation responsible for ensuring that the data will only be processed for the purpose described above.
The lawful basis for processing personal data under the UK GDPR is:
Article 6(1)(e) - processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.
The lawful basis for processing special category data under the UK GDPR is:
Article 9 (2)(h) - processing is necessary for the purpose of the provision of health or social care or treatment, or the management of health and social care systems.
The BAJIR registry is self-funded by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and accepts charitable donations. Donations has been provided by various commercial organisations as follows:
ConvaTec, Biocomposites, Bonesupport, Depuy Synthes, Heraeus, implantcast, stryker, Zimmer Biomet, Link, Smith & Nephew and Adler, as part of the Revision Knee Network Project
The funding and donations are not specifically targeted towards this feasibility study but is for the overall function of the Registry.
The donators have no ability to suppress or otherwise limit the publication of findings.
Dendrite Clinical Systems Ltd is a Processor acting under the instructions of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust..
Data will only be accessed by individuals who are substantive employees of the organisations named as the data controller or processor, in addition to those working in the NHS Trusts.
BAJIR STEERING COMMITTEE
BAJIR is hosted by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and overseen by steering committee of medical professionals including orthopaedic surgeons and microbiology doctors who specialise in treating these bone and joint infections.
Expected output
The expected outputs of the processing will be:
• A report designed to feed information back to NHS Hospital Trusts regarding discrepancies between the data contained within BAJIR and the extract of the HES data. This will allow appropriate investigation to be performed to determine if the BAJIR records require updated. Where applicable, some patient records may be automatically updated as a result of the information contained within the resultant HES extract.
An upload of relevant reports to Trusts will be performed within one month of receipt of the data.
Benefits reported
Data was only recently received due to an unforeseen delay in its provision. As a result, an extension is being requested to ensure the data can be fully utilised in accordance with the original application
DARS-NIC-381948-L9M8Y-v0.28 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025
- Title
- Data-linkage project between the UK Bone and Joint Infection Registry (BAJIR) for Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care (HES APC) and mortality data for the purposes of data quality assurance
- Commercial
- Yes
- Sublicensing
- No
- Datasets
- 2
- Files released
- 8
Datasets: Demographics; Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care (HES APC)
Objective for processing
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust requires access to NHS England data for the purpose of the following feasibility study involving The Bone and Joint Infection Registry (BAJIR).
BAJIR is a national register of information about patients who have suffered a bone or joint infection, including those that occur around existing implants such as hip and knee replacements. The registry is hosted by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
BAJIR receives personal data from several Trusts to build the BAJIR content. Each Trust has an information sharing agreement with Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and they can see record level data on BAJIR only relating to patients in their specific Trust.
NHS England data will be used to examine and update the quality of the data contained within BAJIR that is inputted by local NHS teams to ensure the data is complete and accurate. The local NHS teams will be given sight of NHS England Data (which will be restricted to their own patients) where discrepancies are identified between what the BAJIR database holds and what NHS England hold. The local NHS teams will then compare and update the BAJIR database using data from their own systems.
BAJIR will undertake a feasibility study using two hundred and fifty consented participants who agreed for their data on the BAJIR to be linked to information from NHS information systems. The aim of the feasibility study is to test whether NHS England’s Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) Admitted Patient Care (APC) and Demographics data will help to ensure adequate data quality and completion of the information held in BAJIR, thereby enabling the registry to achieve the aims for which its creation was intended.
The following NHS England data will be accessed:
• Hospital Episode Statistics
- Admitted Patient Care (APC) - necessary to provide information for service evaluation and data completeness, by collecting hospital admissions, complications and co-morbidities.
- Demographics - Date of Death necessary to identify patients who die after consenting to the data linkage for service evaluation and data completeness.
The level of the Data will be:
• Identifiable – necessary because although the Data contains no direct identifying details, the Data will be compared with the data held on the BAJIR to ensure data completion. If a discrepancy is found on the BAJIR, then the information is checked with the NHS Trusts. In order to do this the cohort member will be re-identified to ensure data completeness of the BAJIR.
The data will be minimised as follows:
• Limited to data for a study cohort of approximately 250 consented patients selected from the BAJIR Registry
• Limited to data from 2017/18 (when the BAJIR was established). The Data will be further restricted from each individual’s 1st bone/joint infection.
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is the Controller as the organisation responsible for ensuring that the data will only be processed for the purpose described above.
The lawful basis for processing personal data under the UK GDPR is:
Article 6(1)(e) - processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.
The lawful basis for processing special category data under the UK GDPR is:
Article 9 (2)(h) - processing is necessary for the purpose of the provision of health or social care or treatment, or the management of health and social care systems.
The BAJIR registry is self-funded by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and accepts charitable donations. Donations has been provided by various commercial organisations as follows:
ConvaTec, Biocomposites, Bonesupport, Depuy Synthes, Heraeus, implantcast, stryker, Zimmer Biomet, Link, Smith & Nephew and Adler, as part of the Revision Knee Network Project
The funding and donations are not specifically targeted towards this feasibility study but is for the overall function of the Registry.
The donators have no ability to suppress or otherwise limit the publication of findings.
Dendrite Clinical Systems Ltd is a Processor acting under the instructions of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust..
Data will only be accessed by individuals who are substantive employees of the organisations named as the data controller or processor, in addition to those working in the NHS Trusts.
BAJIR STEERING COMMITTEE
BAJIR is hosted by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and overseen by steering committee of medical professionals including orthopaedic surgeons and microbiology doctors who specialise in treating these bone and joint infections.
Expected output
The expected outputs of the processing will be:
• A report designed to feed information back to NHS Hospital Trusts regarding discrepancies between the data contained within BAJIR and the extract of the HES data. This will allow appropriate investigation to be performed to determine if the BAJIR records require updated. Where applicable, some patient records may be automatically updated as a result of the information contained within the resultant HES extract.
An upload of relevant reports to Trusts will be performed within one month of receipt of the data.
Benefits reported
Yielded Benefits is not a requirement for new applications.
Register history
When this agreement appeared in, or was edited in, each monthly edition of the register. Built by comparing every edition this site holds.
-
August 2024 —
first listed. 1 version: DARS-NIC-381948-L9M8Y-v0.28
-
June 2025
1 version added: DARS-NIC-381948-L9M8Y-v1.2
-
May 2026
1 version added: DARS-NIC-381948-L9M8Y-v2.2
Cite this page
NHS England (2026) Data Uses Register, September 2026 edition, agreement DARS-NIC-381948-L9M8Y, “Data-linkage project between the UK Bone and Joint Infection Registry (BAJIR) for Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care (HES APC) and mortality data for the purposes of data quality assurance”. Read via NHS Data Access Explorer (unofficial), https://healthdatauses.uk/agreements/dars-nic-381948-l9m8y/ (accessed [date]).
This address stays the same, but the page is rebuilt with each monthly edition, so the citation names the edition it shows. Every edition's data is kept in the facts store.
Source: datausesregister_september2026.xlsx, September 2026 edition of the NHS England Data Uses Register. Search that workbook for DARS-NIC-381948-L9M8Y to see the original rows.