Regional Linked Health Data for Research Programme
Addressing the detailed and near-real time hospital admissions information gap in the UK health data research ecosystem
Regional Linked Health Data for Research Programme
No existing data feeds provide detailed and near-real time information on hospital admissions across the UK. Currently available national data feeds are dated, do not include people still in hospital, and lack detailed coding which can help differentiate between different conditions or diagnoses. This is a gap in the UK health data research ecosystem that needs addressed.
Enabling detailed, near-real time hospital admissions data feed of regional level data would provide vital data for research and NHS audit programmes that develop and evaluate safety and effectiveness, and would also support high priority research
A cross-regional collaborative group covering nine regions across England and Scotland have been convened by the Data and Connectivity National Core Study (NCS) and led by Luke Readman, Director of Digital Transformation, NHS England (London Region).
The group has conducted three ‘driver projects’ which have explored data capability, data access and feasibility of enabling near real time hospital admissions linked data feeds across the different regions.
We also invited members of the public to participate in a workshop to understand public perspectives in making regional, linked health data available for research use, to support vaccine safety research and to consider examples and situations that go beyond vaccine safety (read full report).
Data Project 1
Detection of vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia with regional- and hospital-level data: A pilot and feasibility study.
This project is now complete and you can read the final report and key recommendations here.
Data Project 2
Evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of early rule out pathways for acute myocardial infarction across the United Kingdom.
This project led by Professor Nick Mills, University of Edinburgh, is completed. Please view pre-print, which is being submitted for peer review currently.
Data Project 3
Avoidable Attendances: Exploring variation in acute hospital admissions. Developing criteria to define an avoidable admission.
This project is also conducting additional analyses as part of the NIHR/HDRUK Winter Pressures Funding Call.
This project, led by Professor Sue Mason, University of Sheffield, is complete and you can read full report and recommendations here.
How have we involved the public?
We invited 18 members of the public from across the UK, to participate in a workshop to understand public perspectives in making regional, linked health data available for research use, to support high priority research, such as COVID-19 vaccine safety. You can read the report of this workshop here.
