The potential for linked data as a local health intelligence tool for child and maternal health in the UK

Data that are routinely collected when people interact with public services such as health, education, and social care, can be linked together for research. A series of studies are being established across the UK, known as the Born and Bred in (BaBi) Network, which gain consent from pregnant women to use these data about themselves and their child for research. The aim is for these data to inform local decision-making.

In a mapping review, I found limited evidence of linked routine data being used to inform early years decision-making or successful strategies for promoting the use of these data to policymakers. In this thesis, I explore whether linked routine data can be used as a local health intelligence tool for child and maternal health, using the BaBi Network as a case study.

Using linked routine data from the BaBi study in Bradford, I explored whether the available data could be used to address a research question that was prioritised with local stakeholders. I found that key information needed to address this research priority was not available.

Semi structured interviews with local early years decision-makers revealed that although decision-makers perceive value in linked data research, they also have concerns over the quality of routine data and the limitations of the systems that record this information.

My thesis concludes that there is scope to significantly improve routine data sources, which could strengthen their ability to be used to explore local research priorities and inform decision-making. It contributes to a body of evidence demonstrating the challenges of using linked routine data for research and translating this research into policymaking. Future research priorities are to understand if and why key information on local families is missing and to work with local public services and research teams who link data to address these issues.