Created by Unknown User (yvet1), last modified by Laura Reeves on Mar 17, 2025

Data Description

Succession is recorded against Organisation records where one or more new or existing entities displace or merge with one or more organisations which have closed legally.

Succession only applies to statutory organisations or organisations that are key to the NHS hierarchy, therefore it is not a mandatory element of an ODS record - see Business Rules section below for further information re where succession is applied.  ODS can only add succession data where it has been provided to us/confirmed by the relevant organisations/statutory documentation.

Start dates associated with the succession are 'legal' rather than 'operational' dates. Succession links are never closed so end dates are never applied.  Succession records are published when a legal end date (only) is applied to the predecessor organisation. A record can remain operationally open but legally closed and still have a successor record.

The references defining a Succession are held in records on both sides of the association, e.g. both the closed entity, and the entity that has succeeded or persisted following the closure of a predecessor.  Each reference points to a ‘Target’ entity which is defined as a ‘Successor’ (i.e. going forward in time from the subject entity) or a ‘Predecessor’ (going back in time from the subject entity). 

A given subject record will only hold references to immediate target successor(s) and/or predecessor(s) – in each direction. To obtain further succession information the record for the target entity must be interrogated and a data item ‘forwardSuccession’ is supplied that indicates whether there is any further forward succession held on the target.

Note that all successors and predecessors specified on records in current, live data will exist in those files for referential integrity purposes, even if those target records appear in the archive (they will be included in live as RefOnly records).  If the full chain of Succession needs to be derived, e.g. from PCTs back to Primary Care Groups, the Archive file and the Full current XML file/data would need to be loaded into the local database.

There is no restriction on the number of entities that may reference a single Organisation entity as a Target for Succession relationships, although each one may only do so once. 

Succession Example:

  • Org X – succeeded by Org Y
  • Org Y would have a succession of type “Predecessor” stored on its record


Where there is a longer chain of succession the behaviour is a little more complex. Succession is only recorded for the immediate predecessor or successor. For example:

  • Org A – succeeded by Org B – succeeded by Org C - succeeded by Org D
  • Org D would have a single Succession of Type “Predecessor” to Org C only
  • Org C would have two Successions, of Type “Predecessor“ to Org B and Type “Successor” to Org D
  • Org B would have two Successions, of Type “Predecessor“ to Org A and Type “Successor” to Org C


Business Rules - When Succession is Applied

General business rules for where ODS apply succession by primary role/org type (dependent on successor data being relevant and provided/available to ODS). Exceptions may be handled by ODS on a case by case basis.



Permitted Successor Types


CARE TRUST CLINICAL COMMISSIONING GROUP COMMISSIONING SUPPORT UNIT EXECUTIVE AGENCY LOCAL AUTHORITY NHS ENGLAND (REGION) NHS ENGLAND (REGION, LOCAL OFFICE) NHS SUPPORT AGENCY NHS TRUST OTHER STATUTORY AUTHORITY (OSA) PRIMARY CARE NETWORK SPECIAL HEALTH AUTHORITY (SPHA) STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP LOCAL HEALTH BOARD ISLE OF MAN GOVERNMENT DIRECTORATE NORTHERN IRELAND HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE BOARD NORTHERN IRELAND HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE TRUST NORTHERN IRELAND LOCAL COMMISSIONING GROUP NON-STATUTORY NHS ORGANISATION SCOTTISH HEALTH BOARD WELSH ASSEMBLY NORTHERN IRELAND NON-HPSS PROVIDER/ORGANISATION REGIONAL OFFICE (RO)
Primary Role Name Primary Role ID RO107 RO98 RO213 RO116 RO141 RO209 RO210 RO161 RO197 RO162 RO272 RO189 RO261 RO142 RO137 RO153 RO154 RO155 RO158 RO190 RO200 RO322 RO185
CARE TRUST RO107 x






x













CLINICAL COMMISSIONING GROUP RO98
x




















COMMISSIONING SUPPORT UNIT RO213

x



x














EXECUTIVE AGENCY RO116


x


















LOCAL AUTHORITY RO141



x

















NHS ENGLAND (REGION) RO209




x
















NHS ENGLAND (REGION, LOCAL OFFICE) RO210





x















NHS SUPPORT AGENCY RO161

x



x














NHS TRUST RO197 x






x













PRIMARY CARE NETWORK RO272









x











SPECIAL HEALTH AUTHORITY (SPHA) RO189


x




x
x










STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP RO261











x









LOCAL HEALTH BOARD RO142












x








OTHER STATUTORY AUTHORITY (OSA) RO162


x




x












ISLE OF MAN GOVERNMENT DIRECTORATE RO137













x







NORTHERN IRELAND HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE BOARD RO153














x






NORTHERN IRELAND HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE TRUST RO154















x





NORTHERN IRELAND LOCAL COMMISSIONING GROUP RO155
















x




NON-STATUTORY NHS ORGANISATION RO158

















x



SCOTTISH HEALTH BOARD RO190


















x


WELSH ASSEMBLY RO200



















x

NORTHERN IRELAND NON-HPSS PROVIDER/ORGANISATION RO322




















x
REGIONAL OFFICE (RO) RO185





















x

Succession Data Attributes

Master Data Attribute

(ODS Internal Reference)

Source Type Length Nullable Description

Mapping to ODS Data Search & Export field

(excluding predefined reports)

Mapping to ORD API

(ORD schema containers, elements and attributes)

Mapping to ODS STU3 API

Mapping to ODS FHIR R4 API

Please refer to ODS FHIR R4 Implementation Guide and the OAS Specification

ODS Organisation CodeSystem ODS Succession CodeSystem
UniqueSuccessionID [nvarchar] 225 NOT NULL Unique ID for each succession record Not available Succs.Succ.uniqueSuccId Not available
concept.code
PredOrgCode [nvarchar] 12 NOT NULL The code for the predecessor organisation Predecessor(s)

Succs.Succ.Target.OrgId.extension

Where:

Succs.Succ.Type = Predecessor

 Not available property.predecessor property.predecessor
SuccessorOrgCode [nvarchar] 12 NOT NULL The code for the successor organisation Successor(s)

Succs.Succ.Target.OrgId.extension

Where:

Succs.Succ.Type = Successor

 Not available property.successor property.successor
LegalStartDate [nvarchar] 8 NULL

Only Start Dates are used in Succession (succession links are never closed so End Dates are never applied). Only legal dates are applied to Succession.

The Start Date indicates the point at which the Succession took effect.

Not available

Succs.Succ.Date.Start

Not available


property.legStartDate
HasForwardSuccession [Int]
NOT NULL

Boolean

The forwardSuccession attribute indicates whether the entity specified in the Target holds information on any further succession.

Has Forward Succession?

Succs.Succ.forwardSuccession

Not available

property.forwardSuccession

property.forwardSuccession

Legacy .csv File Mapping

succ.csv


Col

Data Item

Report Alias (Legacy csv)

Notes

1

[PredOrgCode]

Organisation Code

As with other reports – this cannot be for a record that is marked as RefOnly = TRUE in the organisation table.

2

[SuccessorOrgCode]

Successor Organisation Code


3

NULL

Successor Reason Code

Change from legacy csv: Previously, universally set to 'R' in the legacy csv file. No longer populdated as adds no value.

4

[LegalStart]

Succession Effective Date

5

[HasForwardSuccession]

Succession Indicator

Change from legacy csv: Set as either ‘1’ or ‘0’ as defined in the succession table.   This was previously ‘F’ and ‘X’ in the legacy report.

succarc.csv

The DSE Predefined report 'Succ' (successor organisations) now returns all succession data (it combines data previously published across succ.csv and succarc.csv legacy files).


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