B3522 - The Healthier Together Population Data Platform - 01/05/2020

B number: 
B3522
Principal applicant name: 
Rachel Denholm | University of Bristol (UM)
Co-applicants: 
Prof. John Macleod, Dr Philip Harfield, Andrew Boyd, Prof. Nicholas Timpson
Title of project: 
The Healthier Together Population Data Platform
Proposal summary: 

Health and care services are increasingly planned and provided using patient data shared securely across multiple health-care settings. However, we know that people’s health is influenced by a wide range of things, including social, cultural, and economic factors. Unfortunately, we don’t currently have data resources that link information about these things to improve service planning, individual care and research.
Our project will fund the information technology and people to bring together information from multiple sources, including, local councils and other services such as the police, as well as the detailed data collected as part of research studies. We will do this using secure technologies and protecting patients’ confidentiality.
By combining and analysing data, we will be able to work with public services to help identify people at higher risk of a condition or disease, and deliver better, more joined up care that is both more effective and offers better value.

Impact of research: 
This application is centred on an existing partnership across NHS organisations, local government, and academia, brought together through the BNSSG Population Health Management (PHM) Steering group to support “Healthier Together” the regional ICS that will succeed the BNSSG Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) over the next two years. As emphasised in the NHS Long-term Plan, the viability and value of an ICS will depend on the availability of a readily analysable person level view of the population and its interactions with the health and care system(5). The BNSSG Systemwide dataset was established for this purpose. The proposed data platform would extend available BNSSG Systemwide dataset linkages beyond the health care system, to include a view of wider determinants of health, such as social care and criminal justice, as well as research data, broadening the application of the resource. Such an integrated data resource would support: a) mapping of patients’ pathways across multiple services b) evaluation and improvement of service delivery across multiple organisations c) understanding of the efficiencies and effectiveness of a whole care system d) understanding public need across the whole system e) the effective rapid response to emerging threats f) understanding wider influences on well-being The opportunities provided with this linkage, and the availability of retrospective and prospective data, have huge potential to inform the effective system response to public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Date proposal received: 
Tuesday, 28 April, 2020
Date proposal approved: 
Friday, 1 May, 2020
Keywords: 
Health Services Research/Health Systems Research