Most cancer alliances across England are in an early stage of development of analytical capabilities with limited modelling capabilities as well.

Wessex Cancer Alliance (WCA) aims to be a data driven organisation and the need for a data strategy is clear. Data, modelling and IT are essential to the WCA agenda. There are too many cancer dashboards, systems and data sources for anyone to track and manage it effectively. If we don’t coordinate the different IT systems, analytical and modelling activities taking place across our Alliance, we risk delivering a series of isolated solutions that won’t work together. When new data requirements arise and gaps become visible, this strategy will provide a framework for identifying the changes needed across the Alliance’s various analytical skills, information management capabilities and technologies.

It is our aim to:

• make decisions based on sound and accurate information
• ensure that we have reliable and up to date information so that we are aware of the current challenges and opportunities
• use data to model future scenarios
• use data to communicate and articulate current challenges (for example late diagnosis)
• use data to influence decisions about addressing health inequalities.

The WCA data strategy has been set across five workstreams:

 

1) Data identification

We want to:

• identify our cancer data and to understand its meaning regardless of structure, origin or location
• create a standardised framework to identify and represent the content of cancer data sources
• map and document both internal and external cancer data sources
• establish a consistent way of referencing and accessing metadata associated with cancer data, including definition, origin, location, domain values,
• define consistent data element naming and value conventions for both internal and external cancer data.

2) Data storage

We want to:

•  store our data in a centralised solution in a way that allows it to be easily and securely accessed, analysed and shared
• design, implement and document a centralised solution to store all relevant cancer data: WCA cancer data Warehouse.

3) Data provision

We want to:

•  implement a standard framework to package and prepare cancer data for sharing as a standard business process across WCA
• design and implement the framework
• standardise how data from local, regional and national data packs and dashboards are shared within the WCA and with our partners
• package data so it can be reused and shared
• provide rules and access guidelines for all our data

4) Data processing

The WCA aims to be a data driven organisation.

5) Data Governance

The role governance plays within an overall data strategy is to ensure that the data is managed consistently across the WCA. We want to establish, manage and communicate information policies and mechanisms for effective data usage

We will address:
a) tactical issues e.g., data accuracy, business rule definition or terminology standards
b) strategic issues: information policies, rules and methods to ensure uniform data usage, manipulation and management.

Data governance provides the necessary rigor over the data content as changes occur to the technology, processing and methodology areas associated with the data strategy effort.