The Networked Data Lab (NDL)
The Networked Data Lab (NDL) is a Health Foundation funded collaborative network of advanced analytical teams across the UK working together on shared challenges and promoting the use of analytics in improving health and social care.
Brief description of project
The NDL examines how we can work together with our partners to use data to improve health and care in the UK; including widening health and care inequalities. It will do this by identifying and analysing six data sets:
Working in this way enables us to better understand the health of our population and how they use services. This combined data enables us to plan and resource health and care for different populations.
For example, ‘dataset A’ might tell us lots of information about bowel cancer, ‘dataset B’ gives us information about how cancer patients want to access services, and ‘dataset C’ tells us about how cancer affects certain people from diverse communities. By combining this data, we have a better understanding of bowel cancer services for this community. We can use the insight to design and pay for cancer services for this specific population.
Who will we speak to?
For each topic we first look at what we already know from patient/carer engagements and create an insight report. Depending on the topic, we then put together a task and finish group which includes people with lived experience and professionals who have an interest in data and the topics we are focusing on.
What have we done so far?
We have finished the first three data sets (reports found below under NDL topics) and we are currently looking at data set four which is intermediate care. Please click here for a description of intermediate care. If you have an interest in this topic please get in touch by emailing Helen Butters at [email protected]
How can you help?
We’d appreciate any help you can give in sharing this piece of work with anyone you feel would be interested. This includes family members, neighbours, friends, and on social media.
If you’re a member of a Patient Participation Group (PPG) at your GP practice, we’d encourage you to share this work with your group and think about how you might support this work. If you would like to talk about how your PPG could be involved feel free to get in touch on the contact details below.
What will we do?
We ensure that the patient voice is heard throughout the project. A plan has been created that shows how we involve patients and the public throughout the analytical process for each topic, and you can read our communication and engagement plan
NDL Topics:
We have looked at three topics:
Topic two: Children and young people’s access to mental health services
Topic three: Needs of unpaid carers
Find out more about the projects please follow the link to The health foundation website page
If you have any questions about this project please contact Helen Butters at [email protected] or call 0113 221 7777