The Population Health Data Advisory Panel has been set up to support the NIHR ARC East of England’s efforts to improve health using population health data. The data panel comprises of 34 members representing ARC East of England themes, health and social care partners (NHS and local authority), and public organisations as well as researchers and public contributors.
Population health data is used to provide information about the health of entire populations or specific groups within a population. This data is often anonymised or grouped so that individuals cannot be identified. Examples of population level data include ill health and deaths from specific diseases, conditions and lifestyle factors, use of healthcare resources, infectious disease surveillance, and vaccinations. By looking at this data, we can identify the most pressing health needs of local people, improve health service planning, and better allocate resources in the East of England and beyond.
The role of the Population Health Data Advisory Panel is to:
- Provide guidance on priority areas where NIHR ARC East of England could support better use of population health data for service planning, delivery and monitoring;
- Champion the role of data-driven research in improving health and reducing health inequalities in the East of England;
- Advise on population health data research opportunities that will support health gain in the region, nationally or internationally;
- Identify opportunities for cross-sectoral collaboration on research including grant applications;
- Identify potential barriers to the use of population health data for research that requires national-level solutions and advocate for appropriate action;
- Advise on the ARC East of England Measurement Health and Social Care (MHSC) theme programme of work.
The Data Advisory Panel is facilitated and hosted by the ARC East of England Measurement in Health and Social Care (MHSC) theme and co-chaired by Helen Green, from the East of England NHS England Public Health team, and Adam Wagner as MHSC Theme Lead. Panel meetings are held twice a year and the panel reports to the NIHR ARC East of England Management Executive Group (MEG).
An example of the type of work discussed in the Data Advisory Panel is exploring how to enable safe and effective information sharing for health and care research.
You can read more about this in the blog below:
If you would like to know more about the Data Panel or are interested in attending any future meetings, please contact Jo Anderson (jpa44@cam.ac.uk) for more information.