GUMCAD STI Surveillance System
Source: gov.uk (2025-01-09)

Guidance on the collection and reporting of data for GUMCAD, the surveillance system for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in England.

About

The GUMCAD STI Surveillance System is the new name for the Genitourinary Medicine Clinic Activity Dataset (GUMCAD).

GUMCAD is the mandatory surveillance system for STIs and collects data on STI tests, diagnoses and services from all commissioned sexual health services in England. It is an electronic, pseudonymised patient-level dataset reported by about 400 services.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) co-ordinates and manages the quarterly data collection, processing, storage, analysis, and reporting of GUMCAD data on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Data is:
- reported quarterly to service providers and local authority sexual health commissioners
- published annually as official statistics (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sexually-transmitted-infections-stis-annual-data-tables)
- used for the chlamydia detection rate on DHSC’s Public Health Outcomes Framework (https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/public-health-outcomes-framework)
All commissioned specialist (level 3) and non-specialist (level 2) sexual health services are required to complete and return GUMCAD data to UKHSA.

Further details on the development of GUMCAD are available in this article in Eurosurveillance (https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES2014.19.48.20981). Details on the levels of sexual health service provision are available in the Standards for the management of STIs (https://www.bashh.org/about-bashh/publications/) provided by the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV.

How to submit GUMCAD data

These documents provide details on the completion, extraction and secure transmission of GUMCAD data to UKHSA.

GUMCAD starter pack (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gumcad-starter-pack)

GUMCAD clinical guidelines (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gumcad-clinical-guidelines)

GUMCAD data specification and technical guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gumcad-data-specification-and-technical-guidance)

GUMCAD and CTAD data submission for STI self-sampling services (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gumcad-and-ctad-data-submission-for-sti-self-sampling-services)

When to submit GUMCAD data

How to access GUMCAD data

GUMCAD data is subject to strict data sharing principles that are given in the UKHSA HIV and STI data publication guidelines (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hiv-and-sti-data-sharing-policy).

Information on STI tests, diagnoses and sexual health services provided in England are available in a variety of formats.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) annual data tables (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sexually-transmitted-infections-stis-annual-data-tables)

These official statistics present information on STI diagnoses and sexual health services provided in England by demographic characteristics and geographical region.

Sexual and Reproductive Health Profiles (https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/sexualhealth)

These provide local area data on sexual health, reproductive health and HIV diagnoses and services through interactive maps and charts.

HIV and STI Data Exchange (https://hivstidataexchange.ukhsa.gov.uk/hivstide)

These are restricted-access reports for monitoring local, regional and national sexual health trends. They are accessible to registered NHS and local authority users only. Reports available include:
- local authority STI and HIV epidemiology reports
- GUMCAD STI diagnoses and services reports
- CTAD data quality reports
- National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) quarterly data tables
- chlamydia re-testing following a positive diagnosis report
The principles for accessing and sharing GUMCAD data is given in the UKHSA HIV and STI data publication guidelines (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hiv-and-sti-data-sharing-policy).

A wide array of information on sexual health, reproductive health and HIV is available from UKHSA and other organisations.

Sexual health, reproductive health and HIV in England (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sexual-and-reproductive-health-in-england-local-and-national-data)

A guide to local and national data helps professionals including local government, service providers and commissioners understand the sexual health, reproductive health and HIV data available across England and how the data can be accessed.

GUMCAD data requests

GUMCAD data can be requested by completing the GUMCAD data request form (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gumcadv2-data-request-form) and sending this to xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

Data requests will take at least 4 working weeks to complete (they may take longer during busy periods).

UKHSA sexual health and HIV privacy information

The sexual health and HIV privacy information (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukhsa-sexual-health-and-hiv-privacy-information) guidance explains the de-personalised data we collect, how we use it and how we protect this information.

Contact information

For further information on GUMCAD or to request access to the HIV and STI Data Exchange (https://hivstidataexchange.ukhsa.gov.uk/hivstide), please contact the GUMCAD helpdesk at xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)