Dr. Mark Davies (Director of Clinical and Public Assurance - The Health and Social Care Information Centre) discusses how data plays a fundamental role in driving better care, better services and better outcomes for patients: presented at Pharma Times.

1. Big Data, Better Understanding, Better Care
October 2013

2. What is the Health and Social Care Information Centre?
• Ground-breaking data, information and technology
resource for the health and care system
• Plays a fundamental role in driving better care, better
services and better outcomes for patients
• Collects, analyses and publishes national data and
statistical information
• Delivers national IT systems and services to support
the health and care system

3. One year ago…..
“Unlike other Hype Cycles, which are published
year after year, we believe it is possible that within
2 to 3 years, the ability to address new sources
and types, and increasing volumes of information
will be ‘table stakes’ — part of the cost of entry of
playing in the global economy,”
“When the hype goes, so will the Hype Cycle.”
Gartner 2012

4. Hype Cycle for Big Data (Gartner, July 2012)

5. The Human Genome Project
An international scientific effort completed in 2003: it
determined the sequencing in human DNA and
mapped the human genome.
It used a $3.8bn federal government investment, and
released its results as Open Data.
It has resulted in $796bn economic growth and
310,000 jobs through 2010.
Battelle Partnership Practice Technology, 2011

6. GP Prescribing Data
The largest release of health open data … worldwide
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Prescribing Data Downloads
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Prescribing data can be downloaded at http://www.hscic.gov.uk/gpprescribingdata

7. Building confidence in the use of information
2012: Gartner estimated that big data technology would take between 2
and 5 years before reaching the ‘plateau of productivity’
2013: Gartner estimate it will take big data between 5 & 10 years.
2 trends are driving big data down into the ‘trough of disillusionment’:
“tools and techniques are being adopted ahead of learned expertise &
any maturity/ optimization, which is creating confusion.
“an inability to spot big data opportunities by the business, formulate the
right questions & execute on the insights”
Gartner as report in Information Age, 19/08/2013

8. Supporting the wider economy
Our role
• Develop information marketplace
• Service for life-science industry
• Develop the UK skills base
• Partnerships for innovation
• Support the local community
Work includes…
• Clear guidelines for data sharing
• Access to information for international life-science industry
• Collaborate to prioritise data collections and linkages
• Consult on informatics skills needed for the new health and care systems
• “Innovation Hub” within the HSCIC
• Consolidate our role as key employer in Leeds

9. Building confidence in the use of information
Our role
• Keep data secure
• Reduce burden and bureaucracy
• Improve data quality
• Interoperability and Standards
Work includes…
• Code of Practice for handling Personal Confidential Data
• Campaign to identify bureaucracy and ways to reduce it
• First annual report on administrative burden
• Clear data quality activities for each service area
• 2nd annual report on data quality
• Audit the provision of information standards
• Review the Interoperability Toolkit

10. Providing information to support better care
Our role
• Publish accessible information
• Establish a library of indicators
• Support data requirements of key partners
Work includes…
• New publications strategy
• Extend range of Official, National and Experimental Statistics
• New publication techniques and more tailored reports
• New portal for accessing all indicators
• Greater use of our indicator assurance process
• Memoranda of Understanding with key partners
• Annual programme for creating and publishing linked data sets

11. Just one example of what can be done
Article focus
• Open source data used to map prescribing in primary care in England.
• Continuous maps of spending per person were computed and a
smoothing algorithm applied.
• Areas with significantly higher spending than the national average were
identified for the medications methylphenidate and metformin.
Key messages
• It is possible to produce easily interpretable maps of local and national
prescribing data from open sources in England.
• Statistical methods can be used to distinguish chance fluctuations in
prescribing from genuine difference.
• This mapping can go down a fine spatial resolution and has the
potential to inform decision making in real time.
Rowlingson B, Lawson E, Taylor B, et al.
Mapping English GP prescribing data: a tool for monitoring health-service inequalities.
BMJ Open 2013;3:e001363.doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2012-001363

12. Just one example
Rowlingson B, Lawson E, Taylor B, et al.
Mapping English GP prescribing data: a tool for monitoring health-service inequalities.
BMJ Open 2013;3:e001363.doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2012-001363
Methylphenidate spending
(net ingredient cost per child)
in selected regions. Points
are colour coded by
quintiles:
from bright blue (lowest),
through dull blue, grey, dull
red and bright red (highest).

13. The central challenge
Data availability Innovation
GrowthIncreased demand
Patient
Benefit

14. Follow us:
@hscic
@hscicmedia
@hscicOpenData
@HSCIC_LSP
@EPSnhs
@NHSSCR
@NHSPathways
@NHSereferral
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hscic/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/health-and-social-care-
information-centre
http://www.slideshare.net/HSCIC
https://www.youtube.com/user/HSCIC1
Call us on: 0845 300 6016
Email us at enquiries@hscic.gov.uk
To Find Out More About the HSCIC