Dave Cronin (HSCIC, Business Change Lead, Data Linkage and Extract Service) provides an overview of the Data Linkage and Extract Service. He also discusses a new ground breaking development programme; making available new datasets, subject to robust information governance controls.

1. The Data Linkage and Extract Service
Dave Cronin, Business Change Lead

2. What is it?
• Unique service enabling new insights into patient care
• Adds significant value to individual sets of data by
combining and matching them in a secure environment
• Flexible range of products that can be tailored to meet your
data needs
• Ground breaking development programme, making
available new datasets, subject to robust information
governance controls

3. Types of data
1. De-identified data for publication
Accessed via the HSCIC catalogue:
www.hscic.gov.uk/searchcatalogue
2. De-identified data for limited disclosure or
access
Accessed via the Data Linkage and Extract Service
subject to IG controls: www.hscic.gov.uk/dles
3. Personal confidential data
Accessed via the Data Linkage and Extract Service
subject to IG controls: www.hscic.gov.uk/dles

4. Data Linkage and Extract Service products
• Tabulations
• Standard extracts
• Bespoke extracts
• Bespoke data linkage
• Patient status and tracking

5. Examples of data available
• Hospital Episode Statistics
• Mental Health Minimum Data Set
• NHS Registration Data from the Personal
Demographics Service
• Secondary Uses Service Payment by Results
• Patient Reported Outcome Measures
• Diagnostic Imaging Dataset
• Mortality Data from the Office for National Statistics
• Cancer Data from the Office for National Statistics

6. Routinely Linked Data Sets
• Hospital Episode Statistics linked to Mental Health
Minimum Data Set
• Hospital Episode Statistics linked to Patient Reported
Outcome Measures
• Hospital Episode Statistics linked to Mortality Data from
the Office for National Statistics
• Hospital Episode Statistics linked to the Diagnostic
Imaging Dataset

7. In the pipeline
Jan
2014
Dec
2016
Quarter 1
2014/15
Primary Care
to HES
linkage
Quarter 1
2015/16
CAMHS to
MHMDS
linkage
CAMHS to
HES linkage
Quarter 3
2015/16
Child Health
to HES
Quarter 2
2015/16
Maternity to
HES linkage
CAMHS data
available
Child Health
data available
Maternity
data available

8. Ensuring appropriate access
Application guidance and forms available
at: www.hscic.gov.uk/dlesaac
We review requests and assess:
• The legal basis to permit the processing and subsequent
release of data.
• The legal basis for the customer to access the data.
• The level and source of data being used and released.
• The purpose and intended reuse of the data.
• The security assurance and controls in place.
• Advise/facilitate any further approvals.

9. Case Study - The ‘Million Women’ Study
Oxford University
• A national study of women’s health involving more than
one million UK women aged 50 and over
• Partnership between Cancer Research UK and the NHS
with funding from the Medical Research Council and the
Health and Safety Executive
• Since 1998 we have:
• Traced and followed 1,251,920 women
• Patient Tracking reporting on; cause of death, cancer,
NHS registrations.
• Providing over 294,000 event notifications

10. Case study – Do hormonal treatments for assisted reproduction
increase risk of cancer of mortality? A national cohort study
The Institute of Child Health, University College
London
• To investigate the relationship between hormonal
treatment and site specific risks of cancer incidence,
especially reproductive related cancers, in relation to
type of treatment, duration and age of exogenous
hormone exposure.
• To establish if there is any link between cause-specific
mortality and ART exposure.
• The HSCIC provided a de-identified output to the
researcher
• Patient Status reporting on; cause of death, cancer, NHS
registrations and HES data.

11. Find out more
0845 300 6016
www.hscic.gov.uk/dles
@hscic
@HSCICOpenData