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Notes

Health-related websites

Introduction

Health is a fully devolved responsibility, meaning that England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have their own health policies.  From a data perspective, however, the responsibilities are somewhat different:

• ONS is responsible for most health data that is relevant to this website for Wales as well as for England.  It also publishes selected health data on a UK-wide basis.
• Responsibility for health data for Scotland is split between the General Register Office for Scotland (births and deaths) and ISD (everything else).
• Responsibility for health data for Northern Ireland is split between the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (births and deaths) and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (everything else).

The material below is organised by these various organisations.

The other complication is that the health data that is published, particularly in the area of mortality, is only a small part of what is actually available.  In this context, many of the analyses in this website actually come from data that has been requested rather than published.

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Office for National Statistics

Sources

In summary:

• Scope: births and deaths.
• Website: ONS website.
• Underlying datasets: none publicly available.
• Update frequency: annual.
• Data format: spreadsheets.

Use made on this website

Website section	Scope	Update timing	Indicator	Graphs	Comments
Births in England and Wales	England and Wales	December	Low birthweight babies	third	This publication appears to have been discontinued and therefore the data now needs to be requested. The location, scope and title of the publication all vary from year to year. Need to add the Scotland data.
			Infant deaths	second	This publication appears to have been discontinued and therefore the data now needs to be requested. The location, scope and title of the publication all vary from year to year. Need to add the Scotland and Northern Ireland data.
DR (registered deaths)	England and Wales	August	Suicides	first and second	Table 5.19. Suicides are deaths with ICD code X60-84, Y10-Y34 (excluding Y33.9) or Y87.2. Combine with the equivalent Scottish data to obtain Great Britain-wide results.
				third	Table 5.19.
			Accidental deaths among children	all	The data is not published and therefore needs to be requested.
Death registrations	England and Wales	July	Premature death	fourth	Table 2
child mortality (child births and deaths)	England and Wales	March	Low birthweight babies	first	Table number varies from year to year. Note that sole registrations are excluded because the coding is by the social class of the father.
				second	No longer published and therefore needs to be requested. The data for the Welsh-only graph also has to be requested.
				fourth and fifth	Table number varies from year to year.
			Infant deaths	first	Table number varies from year to year. The data for the Welsh-only version has to be requested. Note that sole registrations are excluded because the coding is by the social class of the father.
			Underage pregnancies	third	No longer published and therefore needs to be requested.
Excess winter mortality	England and Wales	October	Excess winter deaths	all	Table number varies from year to year. The equivalent graphs for Wales use the same data source.
ONS conception statistics	England and Wales	February	Underage pregnancies	first and second	Table number varies from year to year. Add in the Scottish data from ISD Scotland.
				fourth	Table 4. Add in the Scottish data from ISD Scotland.
Health Services Quarterly (HSQ)	England and Wales	February, May, August, November	Premature death	third and fifth	Relevant data is published occasionally on an unpredictable basis

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General Register Office for Scotland (GRO)

Sources

In summary:

• Scope: births and deaths.
• Website: GRO website statistics section.
• Underlying datasets: none publicly available.
• Update frequency: annual.
• Data format: spreadsheets.

Use made on this website

Website section	Update timing	Indicator	Graphs	Comments
Births, marriages and deaths	February	Infant deaths	second	Table Q2
Vital events reference tables	July	Suicides	first	Table 6.2. Suicides are deaths with ICD code X60-84, Y87.0, Y10-Y34 and Y87.2.
		Premature deaths	third	Table 5.1.
			fifth	Table 1.5. The data is the aggregate of: stomach (C16); trachea, bronchus & lung (C33-34) and ischaemic heart diseases (I20-25).
Excess winter deaths	October	Excess winter deaths	first	Table 1.
N/a (the data has to be requested)	August	Infant deaths	first
	August	Premature deaths	first and second

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ISD Scotland

Sources

In summary:

• Scope: everything not covered by General Register Office for Scotland.
• Website: ISD Scotland website subject index.
• Underlying datasets: none publicly available.
• Update frequency: annual.
• Data format: spreadsheets.

Use made on this website

Website section	Update timing	Indicator	Graphs	Comments
Births and babies	July	Low birthweight babies	first	Table entitled live births by weight and gestation.
			second	Table entitled live births by weight and deprivation.
			third	Table entitled live births by weight and gestation.
Teenage pregnancies	September	Underage pregnancies	first	Table 4.
			second	Table 6.

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Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)

Sources

In summary:

• Scope: data on births, marriages and deaths, as well as population statistics.
• Website: NISRA vital statistics.
• Underlying datasets: none publicly available.
• Update frequency: annual.
• Data format: spreadsheets.

Use made on this website

Website section	Update timing	Indicator	Graphs	Comments
Vital statistics	March	Infant deaths
			second	Table 1.3.
Deaths	March	Premature deaths	first	Table 5.

Where data has to be requested, it should be requested from Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety rather than from NIS

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Miscellany

Website	Update timing	Scope	Indicator	Graphs	Comments
British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry - surveys section	March	Great Britain	Dental health	second	The Wales and Scotland analyses are a subset of the Great Britain one.
National Adult Social Care Intelligence Service (NASCIS)	April	England	Help from social services	first	Use the RAP H1 data. Note that the data for the equivalent graphs for Scotland and Wales has to be requested.
				second and third	Use the snapshot (PS2) data.

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