NHS column: How data is helping the NHS across our area to see bigger picture

​Whether it’s organising NHS resources over winter or predicting health risks in communities, using data to identify patterns and key areas to focus on is very important.

And the key to this is having access to the right data from the public.

In Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, we have a special team of people called the System Analytics Intelligence Unit who are interpreting this data.

The team of analysts builds a detailed picture of what Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s health needs are and how the NHS and its partners can provide the right services to each area to support with preventing ill health.

For example, this could be making sure we have cancer check programmes in neighbourhoods with high levels of cancer diagnosis or increasing our efforts to vaccinate those people where vaccine uptake rates are lower.

And it’s not just about reacting to health issues – we also work to prevent people getting ill in the first place. In Mid Nottinghamshire, we used data to identify people at risk of cold-related harm who were likely to be eligible for free or subsidised support.

Those people were contacted by primary care workers who then referred them to a local energy charity for home insultation, low carbon heating and renewable energy to cut their energy demand and household bills. This led to savings of almost £140,000 spread across 58 households in the area.

However, this type of scheme only works if we have access to the right data, and this comes from health and care records. But don’t worry, we ensure that all information our analysts receive is completely anonymised, only those giving direct health and care to you can see your details, such as your doctor or community nurse. Even though it is anonymous data, we can still get a picture of a community and what its health needs are.

We analyse all the information from health and care records and share data with other public sector organisations to build a picture of an area and its needs. This will never include your name or anything that could identify you and all organisations are required to follow strict data protection law.

This innovative use of data, known as population health management, is allowing us to see the bigger picture helping us to improve local health, prevent illnesses and ensure public money is better spent.

You can find out more about this work at https://notts.icb.nhs.uk/patient-records/